“Wow~”

Pei Zichen’s voice exploded through the water mirror. A’Nan tilted his head and couldn’t help but let out an ambiguous sigh: “Young people.”

“Isn’t he from Lingjian Immortal Pavilion?” Ye Tianjiao beside them also couldn’t help but ask aloud, puzzled. “How did he suddenly become Penglai’s?”

“Enough.” Jiang Zhaoxue felt her face inexplicably warming at their words. Cursing Pei Zichen’s arrogance silently, after confirming Pei Zichen’s situation, she immediately said, “We need to set out right now. Pei Zichen can’t hold on much longer.”

As she spoke, she drew another formation array and activated it again, opening a spiritual energy transmission formation beside Shen Yuqing. After linking him together with Pei Zichen and turning him into Pei Zichen’s spiritual energy blood bag, only then did she turn around and say to Chen Zhao: “Mister Chen, have everyone come to the main hall.”

Chen Zhao immediately complied. Jiang Zhaoxue led Ye Tianjiao toward the main hall.

Upon arriving at the hall, it was packed with people—those Jiang Zhaoxue knew and those she didn’t, all gathered in the middle.

Jiang Zhaoxue swept her gaze across the room. Seeing Chen Zhao was absent, Ye Wenzhi noticed her thoughts and stood up to explain: “The people from the Eternal Bliss Longevity Cult discovered this place. We didn’t have time to relocate and could only fight head-on. Mister Chen is guarding outside.”

Jiang Zhaoxue nodded at his words. All along her way here, listening to the sounds, she had known that the Ye Residence was already caught in a storm.

She didn’t say much more and stated directly: “Pei Zichen has now restrained Xin Luoyi.”

“I know,” Ye Wenzhi immediately responded. “I’ve already dispatched people there to protect Young Daoist Pei with all our strength.”

“That will last at most one day.”

Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes to look at Ye Wenzhi and said seriously: “With the spiritual power of him and Shen Yuqing combined, the Spirit-Locking Array can persist for at most one day. Before sunset tomorrow, when their spiritual power is depleted, the array will begin extracting their primordial spirits.”

After a moment of silence, Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes to look at Ye Wenzhi and said earnestly: “At that time, I will take Pei Zichen and leave.”

Everyone was stunned and looked at each other. Ye Tianjiao was the first to react and hurriedly said: “Oh right, you’re not from here. When the time comes, whoever can escape counts. If we can’t kill that vengeful evil spirit by tomorrow afternoon, at the current rate of deaths, do we even have a chance of survival?”

At Ye Tianjiao’s reminder, everyone finally realized—Xuecang Mountain was now filled with believers who were pursuing and intercepting Pei Zichen, plus those currently assaulting the Ye Residence…

The vengeful evil spirit fed on human resentment, and the resentment of those who died unjustly was the heaviest. With so many deaths, even if Xin Luoyi hadn’t devoured the people offered to her, she would have already become a calamity.

“Yes.”

Ye Wenzhi listened, came to his senses, and nodded. “Both Immortal Masters have done more than enough. We understand.”

“So from this moment until sunset tomorrow, we only have this window of time. Before then, we must break the formation array beneath the Sacred Pool. As long as Xin Luoyi cannot rapidly gain power, she won’t be so formidable.”

Jiang Zhaoxue thought for a moment, then raised her eyes to scan everyone: “Does anyone among you understand the formation array beneath the Sacred Pool?”

Everyone looked at each other. After a moment, a young voice emerged from the crowd: “I do.”

Everyone followed the voice and saw a black-clothed youth standing in the corner. He caught Jiang Zhaoxue’s eye. Jiang Zhaoxue paused for a moment, then immediately said: “Come up here. Have you seen the formation array beneath the Sacred Pool?”

“I haven’t seen the one in the Blood Pool,” Ming said calmly, “but when I escaped from the Sacred Pool, I accidentally entered a cave. That cave was beneath the Sacred Pool, with the ceiling completely covered in runic symbols. The Sacred Pool was directly above it.”

“Come here and draw all the symbols you remember. Draw as much as you can recall.”

Jiang Zhaoxue immediately had Ming come forward. Ming began drawing right away. After just a few strokes, Jiang Zhaoxue’s expression changed dramatically. She turned to Ye Wenzhi: “Lord Ye, did you leave a teleportation array in the capital?”

“We did.” Ye Wenzhi nodded, understanding Jiang Zhaoxue’s intention. “You want to return to the capital?”

“Qian Sisi.”

Jiang Zhaoxue turned to look at Qian Sisi. Qian Sisi straightened up with a carefree manner: “Here.”

“This item is called the Dingqian Needle. It can connect to the True Immortal Realm.”

With a wave of Jiang Zhaoxue’s hand, a needle floated in her palm. She raised her hand and sent it forward. Qian Sisi caught it between two fingers and turned to look at her: “Why are you giving this to me?”

“Take it to the center of the capital’s altar, dig three feet into the ground, and bury it in the earth. This needle can extend straight up to the height of the heavens. After a talisman master casts the spell, it will open a passage between Penglai and the mortal realm. At that time, I’ll draw upon Penglai’s spiritual power to destroy the Sacred Pool’s formation array.”

“Alright.” Qian Sisi agreed immediately.

Jiang Zhaoxue said at once: “Take more people with you. This is a divine artifact—it won’t be easy for you to bury it.”

Qian Sisi raised her eyebrows at these words and couldn’t help saying: “How hard can it be? I refuse to believe it.”

With that, Qian Sisi said no more and casually told everyone: “I’ll head out first.”

Everyone nodded to her. Qian Sisi walked out with her sword. As she passed Jiang Zhaoxue, she raised her hand and patted Jiang Zhaoxue’s shoulder. Jiang Zhaoxue looked up at her, and saw her press her lips together and sigh: “I was going to treat you to drinks when we said goodbye… next time then.”

Jiang Zhaoxue’s expression shifted slightly. She only said: “We’ll talk when you return.”

“Sounds good.”

Qian Sisi nodded and turned to leave.

Jiang Zhaoxue glanced back at her retreating figure, then turned to look at the formation array Ming had drawn on the table.

His memory was excellent—the array was drawn about seventy to eighty percent complete. Looking at the formation array, Jiang Zhaoxue’s heart sank.

This was an ancient formation array that only existed in the True Immortal Realm. Her judgment was correct—if she didn’t borrow Penglai’s power, she would have no way to destroy this formation array.

“Just what is this Song Wulan’s background?” A’Nan couldn’t help but wonder. “Twenty years old, such high cultivation level, and knows about ancient formation arrays that only exist in the True Immortal Realm? Even Pei Zichen might not know about this, right?”

“Even Shen Yuqing might not.”

Jiang Zhaoxue said coldly, staring at the formation array. After dismantling it piece by piece, she thought aloud: “This is an ancient formation array fed by blood. To destroy it, I must first reach the formation itself and let my blood fall into the array.”

As she spoke, she pointed to the circle around it: “But all around the perimeter are defensive formation arrays designed to prevent others from entering. This array doesn’t sense a person’s spiritual energy or presence, but their fate. Everything else can be concealed, but fate is hard to hide. Once discovered, the surrounding arrays will immediately activate and kill the intruder. So I need someone to go in and dismantle one of the arrays. Ming.”

Jiang Zhaoxue turned to look at Ming. In her eyes, everyone was surrounded by different auras of fate—except Ming, who had nothing at all.

She stared at Ming, who was completely different from everyone around him, and said seriously: “Can you help?”

“Him?” Ye Tianjiao listened and couldn’t help saying: “He’s just an ordinary mortal…”

“Arrange proper protection for Pei Shulan’s family,” Ming said calmly, raising his eyes to look at her. “And I’ll go with you.”

“Good.”

Jiang Zhaoxue immediately agreed. She took out a jade token from her sleeve and handed it to Ming: “This is my protective jade token. Take it and give it to Pei Shulan. Lord Ye.”

Jiang Zhaoxue turned to Ye Wenzhi and said earnestly: “I trouble you to make the arrangements.”

Ye Wenzhi agreed. Jiang Zhaoxue nodded and told everyone: “Then now everyone should attend to their duties. Ming, come find me after you’ve seen Lady Pei. Tianjiao, come with me. I’ll teach you one final talisman.”

Ye Tianjiao was startled at these words. Hearing the phrase “one final talisman,” he felt somewhat dazed for a moment, but still followed Jiang Zhaoxue.

Jiang Zhaoxue turned and strode forward, leading Ye Tianjiao toward Shen Yuqing’s room. As she walked, she showed Ye Tianjiao the talisman and explained: “After the Dingkun Needle connects to the True Immortal Realm, you’ll write the talisman I just showed you on the Dingkun Needle—fill it with eighty-one talismans. This is Penglai’s charm. Penglai will recognize it. If someone asks who you are…”

Jiang Zhaoxue thought for a moment, then placed two fingers to her lips. After explaining the whole situation in a low voice, she transformed it into a talisman paper that fell into Ye Tianjiao’s hands. She instructed: “Just throw this talisman into the Dingkun Needle. I’ve already explained that I’m the Penglai Female Lord from a thousand years in the future. Given my parents’ temperaments, they won’t make things difficult.”

“Oh.”

Ye Tianjiao listened and nodded, then asked: “Then… what if something unexpected happens?”

“What kind of unexpected event?”

Jiang Zhaoxue was puzzled. Ye Tianjiao scratched his head: “Like… if the Dingkun Needle breaks…”

“Well,” Jiang Zhaoxue blinked and thought about it. “Then you’d better pray it doesn’t break.”

“But what if?”

“If it breaks, figure something out yourself.” Jiang Zhaoxue said helplessly. “This is a divine artifact. Do you think I’m a god?”

“But Song Wulan and his people can’t just watch the Dingkun Needle connect to Penglai without doing anything, right?” Ye Tianjiao pondered. “We need to have some backup plan.”

“The backup plan is for you to figure out your own talismans.”

Jiang Zhaoxue said slowly: “I told you back then that all talismans are words used to communicate with heaven and earth. If the Dingkun Needle breaks, whatever energy it needs to repair itself, you go find that energy. However it needs to be repaired and entered into the Dingkun Needle, you write clearly how to repair it. But if you can comprehend and write these words clearly,” Jiang Zhaoxue looked him up and down and smiled, “then you would be creating original talismans, glimpsing the Great Dao, becoming a grandmaster of your generation, with ascension within reach.”

“Please don’t mock me.” Ye Tianjiao felt a headache at these words and couldn’t help saying: “You were the one who led me through the door back then. I followed my master at the Tianji Academy, and I’ve been formally studying the Dao for less than five years, getting scolded every day. My master always says that if our family wasn’t wealthy, he would never have taken a fool like me as a disciple.”

These words made Jiang Zhaoxue laugh. Ye Tianjiao continued, but also with some pride: “But I think he’s just lying. Although he scolds me, he’s determined to make me his personal disciple. However, those stinking Daoists at the Tianji Academy require severing all familial ties and mortal connections to become a personal disciple, and they’d change my name and surname. I told him he could dream on, so I still haven’t gotten his personal disciple nameplate. But I know that old geezer has already secretly made my disciple nameplate. He even picked out a name for me, called Gu…”

“Immortal Master Jiang.”

Ming’s voice came from not far away. Jiang Zhaoxue turned her head to see Ming standing in the night. Jiang Zhaoxue came to her senses and turned to Ye Tianjiao, saying quietly: “No more chatting. If you know what to do, then go.”

Ye Tianjiao nodded. Standing before Jiang Zhaoxue, he hesitated for a moment, then said softly: “Then… Sister, I’m leaving.”

“Go ahead.”

Jiang Zhaoxue nodded and watched Ye Tianjiao turn to leave.

After walking just a few steps, Ye Tianjiao halted. He seemed to struggle for a long time, then suddenly turned around.

Like a deer, he rushed back and suddenly embraced Jiang Zhaoxue tightly!

Jiang Zhaoxue froze in place. Then she heard Ye Tianjiao say rapidly: “I know that after you resolve everything, you’ll get the Suguang Mirror and leave. After that, I won’t be able to see you again. Sister, see you in a thousand years! By then I’ll go to Penglai, to Lingjian Immortal Pavilion, to find you and Pei Zichen!”

Jiang Zhaoxue stood motionless. She suddenly felt her eyes sting and said hoarsely: “A thousand years is very long.”

“By then, I might be a grandmaster!”

Ye Tianjiao said happily, then released Jiang Zhaoxue, turned and jogged away: “Sister, I’m going!”

Jiang Zhaoxue stood still. She listened to Ye Tianjiao’s words, watching him run away with a deliberately cheerful demeanor. She suddenly realized something.

A thousand years later, there was no person named Ye Tianjiao.

With his talent, if he were alive, he would certainly have become a generation’s grandmaster. She and Pei Zichen would definitely know his name.

But from the time they met, they had never shown any sign of knowing him, so he should have long known his own fate.

“But the outcome can change now.”

A’Nan’s voice rang out, reminding her: “What you’re doing now—isn’t it precisely to save the lives of people like him?”

Jiang Zhaoxue listened, took a deep breath, and turned to Ming standing in the shadows: “Wait here for me. I’ll be right back.”

With that, she turned and walked into the room. Shen Yuqing was trapped on the ground by the Dragon-Locking Chain, sitting in meditation with his eyes closed.

Hearing Jiang Zhaoxue enter, he immediately opened his eyes and said urgently: “Jiang Zhaoxue, release me. I won’t be your enemy…”

“I need to save people. Will you help me save them?”

Jiang Zhaoxue asked decisively. Shen Yuqing’s movements froze.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhaoxue knew his thoughts. She raised her hand to draw an array and said calmly: “You won’t. In your heart, the Book of Fate is the inviolable Heavenly Dao. Even if you killed me, you couldn’t violate the Book of Fate. This is what you’ve learned since childhood. I understand.”

“Jiang Zhaoxue,” Shen Yuqing couldn’t help saying, “the Book of Fate is the Heavenly Dao recognized by Zhongzhou.”

“But not mine.”

“Silence!” Shen Yuqing shouted urgently. “Don’t say such things again.”

“Are you angry, or are you afraid?” Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes to look at him and asked directly. “Afraid that like all those people and sects in the past who didn’t believe in the Book of Fate, I’ll die an untimely death?”

Shen Yuqing’s breathing became chaotic. Jiang Zhaoxue casually raised her hand to cast a spell. With a flick of the Qiankun Sign, a formation array fell beneath Shen Yuqing. Then power rapidly dispersed through the array. Shen Yuqing’s expression changed drastically and he said urgently: “Jiang Zhaoxue, what are you doing!”

“After all, you are Zichen’s master. It wouldn’t be right for him to risk his life outside while you just watch.”

Jiang Zhaoxue put away the Qiankun Sign and said calmly: “Since you can’t be of use to me, I’ll borrow your spiritual power. I’ll transmit your spiritual power to Pei Zichen—it’s the least you can do to show some care.”

“Jiang Zhaoxue!”

Seeing her turn to leave, Shen Yuqing shouted angrily: “Are you truly ungrateful to this extent?! Haven’t I made it clear enough? You cannot bear the karmic consequences of those two hundred people. Even if you accept the karma of those two hundred people, think about Qingyin! She lost her spiritual root because of you. If you don’t plant the two Tianyan Vines this time, you will forever owe her a spiritual root. If you and I owe her, then you and I will…”

He couldn’t continue. But Jiang Zhaoxue already understood his meaning.

The Tianyan Vine was nurtured by the power of all living things. Only in the great war where two million people perished could the overflowing power be sufficient to plant two Tianyan Vines simultaneously.

Planting two Tianyan Vines would ensure that she lived while also creating a Heavenly Spirit Root for Mu Jinyue in the future.

Otherwise, apart from using her spiritual root that retained Song Qingyin’s spiritual essence, Mu Jinyue had no other way to obtain a spiritual root. If Mu Jinyue couldn’t walk the path Song Qingyin’s life should have taken, for Shen Yuqing, that would be a hurdle their relationship could never overcome.

This was his way of showing goodwill, but this man—even his goodwill had to be concealed.

For the first time, Jiang Zhaoxue understood the meaning behind his words and couldn’t help but laugh lightly: “Shen Yuqing, do you know what your most hateful trait is?”

Shen Yuqing was startled. Moonlight spilled in from outside the window. Jiang Zhaoxue stood in the moonlight, surrounded by a glowing aura, like a deity.

She never turned back, only said softly: “Although you say you love me, you have never truly seen the real me. If you truly understood what kind of person I am, you would know that from the moment you told me you took the Zhanshen Sword and refused to save these two million people in order to save me and Mu Jinyue, it became even more impossible for me to take the Zhanshen Sword. I could never use so many innocent lives to save myself, and I could never use so many lives to make up for my debts. I will repay Song Qingyin’s spiritual root myself—if I truly owe her.”

“What do you mean?”

Shen Yuqing keenly sensed something unusual in Jiang Zhaoxue’s words. Jiang Zhaoxue glanced back at him: “Mu Jinyue cultivates Jiuyou Realm techniques. Did you know that?”

Hearing this, Shen Yuqing’s pupils contracted sharply.

Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. She stepped outside and called out: “Shen Yuqing, open your dog eyes wide. If you’ve never seen my true appearance clearly, then this time, look carefully.”

The moment her words fell, a beam of light shot up into the sky from the distance. Spiritual power carrying Penglai’s aura dispersed instantly across thousands of miles.

Shen Yuqing watched the woman walking toward the door. He finally realized what was happening and said urgently: “Jiang Zhaoxue, what are you planning to do?! Come back! Don’t act rashly. Open this barrier! Jiang Zhaoxue, don’t be foo—”

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Zhaoxue raised her hand and set down a barrier, completely sealing off the sound from inside.

Shen Yuqing sat stunned in the darkness, listening to Jiang Zhaoxue’s footsteps fade away.

She strode into the courtyard and saw Ming, who had been waiting for some time. Jiang Zhaoxue glanced at him and asked curiously: “You’ve seen Lady Pei?”

“Yes.”

“Shall we go then?”

“Alright.”