The two set out from the Ye Residence. Jiang Zhaoxue rode the immortal crane, carrying Li Xiuji as they headed straight for Xuecang Mountain.

Flying out from the Ye Residence and looking down from above, only then could they see the full picture.

The entrance to the Ye household was already packed with people. Believers in red robes fought with ordinary people, and cultivators dueled throughout the city.

From the Ye Residence all the way to Xuecang Mountain, there were people everywhere outside the mountain. Pei Zichen alone stood at a high vantage point, simultaneously entangled with ten high-level cultivators. Around them, Tianji Academy cultivators and other low-level red-robed cultivators fought together. Spell lights bombarded everywhere, densely interwoven. Jiang Zhaoxue quickly shouted to Ming: “Hold on tight to me!”

Ming’s expression stiffened, but he had no time to object. Jiang Zhaoxue steered the crane in a sharp turn and plunged into the spell lights. Ming was so startled he wrapped his arms around Jiang Zhaoxue’s waist. Everything spun dizzyingly around them. The attacks came within inches of him, each impact brushing past them. Any slight deviation and his mortal body would surely perish.

He dared not make a sound. Jiang Zhaoxue sensed him tightening his grip, thinking he was afraid, and quickly said: “Don’t worry, I’m very good at riding cranes!”

The moment she finished speaking, sword light exploded from above. The sword intent, carrying the essence of ice and snow, froze all the surrounding spell lights and instantly shattered them. Ice crystals burst everywhere, disrupting everyone’s vision except for leaving Jiang Zhaoxue a clear path.

Jiang Zhaoxue seized the opportunity to swiftly guide the crane through. Before leaving, she instinctively looked up and saw Pei Zichen holding a sword in one hand while forming seals with the other, the bright moon above his head, with the Nine Revolutions Immortal Life Bell suspended beneath the moon.

As she turned back, Pei Zichen seemed to sense her. Their eyes met briefly for a moment. His gaze softened slightly, then he steeled himself again to face forward. Sword formations gathered around him as he alone restrained everyone, leading them into the distance while coldly transmitting his voice to Ming: “You can let go now.”

Hearing this transmission, Ming’s movements froze. He immediately pressed his lips together and released his hold.

Jiang Zhaoxue noticed and couldn’t help but laugh: “Do you dislike me that much?”

“With Pei Zichen clearing the way,” Ming said calmly, “it’s no longer bumpy.”

With that, the two guided the crane down into the forest. Jiang Zhaoxue jumped down from the crane with Ming.

Everyone had been drawn by Pei Zichen to the front mountain. Only a few guards remained at the back mountain. Jiang Zhaoxue put an invisibility cloak on Ming, formed a barrier with her hands, and quietly urged: “Lead the way.”

Ming immediately moved forward, leading Jiang Zhaoxue through the dense forest. They climbed up a small path and quickly arrived at a wall covered with vines. Pushing aside the vines revealed a cave entrance.

“Here it is.”

He turned back to call Jiang Zhaoxue. The two squeezed through one after another. After entering the cave, they found themselves in a long corridor. Jiang Zhaoxue activated the Shanhe Bell’s barrier, then took out a compass. After injecting spiritual power into it, dots of light immediately appeared on the compass.

Ming glanced at it, somewhat curious: “What is this?”

“A Spirit-Seeking Compass.” Jiang Zhaoxue looked at the dots on the compass, all far from her position. After shaking it left and right, she explained: “Any living thing will appear on this compass. Using a spirit-seeking array would alert others, so I can only use this. Although the range isn’t large—it only shows what’s within a mile—since this is a cave, we don’t need to monitor too far.”

As she spoke, Jiang Zhaoxue gestured with her chin toward Ming: “Lead the way.”

Ming turned around, stepped forward, and said quietly: “There’s only one path.”

“Huh?”

Jiang Zhaoxue looked up at the corridor. There were no lights in this passage. The entire path was pitch black, with only the glow from Jiang Zhaoxue’s compass serving as the sole light source in the long corridor.

Jiang Zhaoxue looked around, then heard Ming explain: “There are two doors beneath the Sacred Pool cave. One is on both sides of the river beneath the Sacred Pool, and the other is here. Both sides lead to small paths. Walk inside and you’ll reach that cave.”

“This is the route you found when you nearly got thrown into the Blood Pool and escaped years ago?”

“Yes.”

Ming nodded, recalling those days, and said softly: “At that time, I climbed out of the river water and saw a cave, so I walked in. After passing through the cave and walking this path, I came out again. I didn’t encounter anyone the whole way. I walked for so long—I don’t know how long exactly. When I finally came out and saw light, I thought I had gone blind.”

“There’s a formation array here that senses people’s fate. Once it senses someone, it will directly kill them. By rights, you should have died long ago.”

Jiang Zhaoxue said, somewhat puzzled: “Didn’t anyone tell you about not being able to see your fate?”

“They did. I consulted a fortune teller to read my fate. The result told me it was because my fate was too terrible.” Ming said calmly. “They said I should have died long ago, but by some coincidence, I exploited a loophole in the Heavenly Dao and have been barely surviving until now. But my life, at most until seventeen years old, should end.”

Hearing “seventeen,” Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t help but freeze.

She raised her eyes, looking at the young man’s back ahead of her, and said nothing.

Ming waited for a moment. When she didn’t speak, he asked oddly: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Oh.”

Jiang Zhaoxue snapped back to her senses, as if pondering something: “You… you seem quite concerned about Lady Pei?”

Ming paused, then said softly: “I have no parents. Lady Pei treats her children very well. I respect that greatly.”

“Is Lady Pei properly settled now?”

“Yes,” Ming said, his tone lightening somewhat. “Lord Ye has a place in the northern wasteland for settling common people. Now Lady Pei has your protective jade token, and Lord Ye had already prepared formation arrays. Even if Xin Luoyi emerges… she and the children of the Li family should be safe.”

“That’s good then.” Jiang Zhaoxue nodded, thought for a moment, then said quietly: “Then… after you lead me inside, I’ll give you a Swift Talisman.”

Ming listened, turned back in surprise, and saw Jiang Zhaoxue raise her eyes to look at him, her eyes carrying apology as she softly called his name: “Go find them, Xiuji.”

Ming, or rather Li Xiuji, stood ahead. Hearing this name, his eyes trembled as if something shattered within them. Jiang Zhaoxue understood instantly. Her heart felt slightly bitter as she recalled the child from the Life and Death Manor who had desperately clung to her, only to be driven away. Before her eyes seemed to appear visions of that child at four years old, at twelve years old—each time desperately calling for help, desperately shouting—finally coalescing into his seventeen-year-old self, standing quietly before her in the firefly light of the compass.

“I’m sorry.”

Jiang Zhaoxue spoke with some difficulty: “Back then I didn’t have time to…”

“Let’s go.”

Li Xiuji didn’t take up the conversation, didn’t respond. After collecting himself, he silently turned and moved forward, affecting calmness: “I’ve already walked this path alone. Right now everyone is waiting for us.”

With that, he walked ahead. Jiang Zhaoxue looked at the young man’s back, experiencing for the first time in her life a sense of helplessness at being unable to do anything.

He had already walked the hardest road alone. What meaning would anything she said now have?

Jiang Zhaoxue took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions, and followed Li Xiuji forward.

After walking for a short while, Jiang Zhaoxue saw a red dot appear on the compass. Beyond the red dot, spiritual power gathered densely in a circle—clearly the location where formation arrays were arranged.

Jiang Zhaoxue quickly called out to Li Xiuji: “Wait…”

“We’re here.”

Li Xiuji stopped, took out a tinderbox from his sleeve, and after opening it, lit the bronze lamp beside them. Only then could they see clearly—this was a bronze door. Jiang Zhaoxue felt spiritual power flowing. She raised her eyes upward and saw the bronze door covered densely with formation arrays. These arrays carried intense killing intent. Jiang Zhaoxue dared not approach. Li Xiuji turned to look at her and asked: “How do we dismantle it?”

“Right above your head is the God-Slaying Array that senses fate. If I approach, it will immediately kill me.”

Jiang Zhaoxue observed the arrays above, patiently saying: “But it can’t sense you now. Do you see the pattern at the third corner in the southwest position of the array above your head?”

Li Xiuji listened, raised his eyes to look up, and following Jiang Zhaoxue’s direction, raised his hand to point at the location she specified: “Here?”

“That’s right.”

As Jiang Zhaoxue spoke, she pulled out a talisman from her sleeve and carefully tossed it over to Li Xiuji, instructing: “Blow it up.”

Li Xiuji complied, picked up the talisman from the ground, flicked his sword upward, and struck the location Jiang Zhaoxue had designated.

The talisman exploded the array. Jiang Zhaoxue immediately felt the spiritual power threatening her disappear.

Jiang Zhaoxue relaxed. First, she experimentally extended her foot, stepping into the range the array had originally covered. Finding the array remained inactive, she became pleased, confidently stepped forward fully, and after confirming nothing happened, she relaxed and turned to Li Xiuji: “Alright, now it’s my turn.”

“Good.”

Li Xiuji nodded. Jiang Zhaoxue smiled and glanced at the compass, seeing the red dot inside. After thinking for a moment, she pondered: “But it’s still not secure. We need to prepare.”

Li Xiuji didn’t understand what Jiang Zhaoxue meant. He watched as Jiang Zhaoxue first raised her hand to draw an array, quickly murmuring: “Heavenly Dao is fickle, gamble fate upon heaven, supreme great fortune, ten thousand swords protect the body, go.”

With that, she tossed the divination slip, which revealed a middle fortune.

Jiang Zhaoxue pursed her lips. Though dissatisfied, she still crushed the jade slip. Immediately, countless swords appeared densely behind her. Only then did Jiang Zhaoxue confidently take out a charm, place it in her palm, and slap it onto the bronze door, shouting: “Break!”

The bronze door burst open with a thunderous sound. The instant it opened, Jiang Zhaoxue heard the dense sound of arrows coming. Li Xiuji beside her moved even faster than she did, suddenly tackling her at an angle. The moment they rolled into the cave, Jiang Zhaoxue heard the clanging of swords striking together. Then Li Xiuji pulled her along, dodging the arrow rain while rolling forward.

His speed was too fast. Jiang Zhaoxue was pulled and dragged by him, rolling until she was dizzy and stumbling.

Li Xiuji was, after all, just a mortal. Compared to Pei Zichen, the gap was too great. At this moment, if not for the formation array she had prepared in advance protecting them, they would have long since become sieves.

Jiang Zhaoxue cursed while forcing herself to remain calm. Being pulled by Li Xiuji, she raised her head to observe the surrounding situation. With a turn of her eyes, she saw the person being entangled by her sword array. Then she heard A’Nan exclaim in shock: “How can Mu Jinyue be here?!”

The moment the words fell, Mu Jinyue swung her whip heavily, dispersing the surrounding sword intent. Then she raised her hand and lashed out with her whip. Before Li Xiuji could react, Mu Jinyue’s whip struck him. Jiang Zhaoxue quickly raised her hand to embrace him, spiritual power directly pressing on the wound. She and Li Xiuji were simultaneously knocked flying!

“Oh my, Master’s Wife.” Just as Jiang Zhaoxue was slammed against the wall, she heard Mu Jinyue’s laughter. “I struck a bit too hard. Are you alright?”

“Immortal Master.”

Hearing this, Li Xiuji quickly turned back to help Jiang Zhaoxue up.

Jiang Zhaoxue’s bones ached from the impact. Being helped up by Li Xiuji to sit, she breathed lightly, raised her hand to touch her spine where she’d been struck, and looked up at Mu Jinyue walking over with her whip, gritting her teeth: “Jinyue, I must say, I didn’t realize that despite your small stature, you pack quite a punch.”

“Master’s Wife is too kind.” Mu Jinyue smiled, lightly tapping her palm with the whip as she walked slowly over. “That stab Master’s Wife gave me went quite deep as well.”

With that, she stopped before Jiang Zhaoxue, raised her hand to her abdomen, and said rather helplessly: “At this very moment, disciple’s wound still aches faintly.”

“So,” Jiang Zhaoxue tilted her head, “you’re here for revenge?”

As Jiang Zhaoxue spoke, she swept a glance around, secretly writing the character for “leave” in Li Xiuji’s palm with her finger. Li Xiuji looked at her and pressed his lips together without speaking, but didn’t leave.

Jiang Zhaoxue secretly glared at him. She could only draw arrays under her sleeve while stalling for time, continuing to ask: “You ran out from the residence, used your own blood to awaken Xin Luoyi, all to join forces with Song Wulan and find a way to kill me?”

“Kill you?”

Mu Jinyue was amused by these words. She lowered her head, using her whip to lift Jiang Zhaoxue’s chin, studying her as she said casually: “Originally I didn’t want to. That’s why I ran out.”

“But now you do?”

Jiang Zhaoxue understood her meaning and spoke provocatively. Mu Jinyue’s expression turned slightly cold. The whip pressed further into her neck as she said softly: “Yes.”

Then she tilted her head: “You can’t have all the good things, can you? Clearly, if you died, Song Qingyin could live. But Shen Yuqing insists on saving you, then taking a roundabout way to atone—why bother? Besides, your influence is too great now, your weight too heavy.” Mu Jinyue thought of something and said through gritted teeth: “Even if I’ll be blamed for it, I can’t let you live.”

“So you plan to perish together with me?”

“Perish together?” Mu Jinyue raised an eyebrow. “Are you worthy? You’re merely one piece of my plan.”

With that, Mu Jinyue withdrew her whip, lightly tapping it against her palm, patiently saying: “I ran out to get the Zhanshen Sword. If you won’t take it, I’ll come get it myself.”

“How will you get it?”

“First, I’ll use my blood to awaken Xin Luoyi,” Mu Jinyue said methodically. “After Xin Luoyi awakens, the Sacred Pool’s formation array will activate, absorbing those common people’s souls and using the power of their lives to replenish the Zhanshen Sword. And after these common people die, the resentment they produce from their unjust deaths will become nourishment for Xin Luoyi. At that time, when the Zhanshen Sword senses this world-calamity vengeful evil spirit appearing, it will manifest. I’ll then soak my heart’s blood into the Zhanshen Sword’s body, and it will fully awaken. During this period, I suspected you might come here to destroy the Sacred Pool’s formation array, but I also felt you didn’t have that capability. Still, I waited here with a bit of hope—”

Mu Jinyue turned to look at her and smiled: “I didn’t expect you’d really come.”

“I came, but you still can’t kill me.” Jiang Zhaoxue blinked. “I have the protective sword technique your senior brother left on me. His sword intent, or his blood—it’s your natural counter, isn’t it? You can’t even get close to me. How will you kill me?”

“It is a natural counter, but—”

As she spoke, dense footsteps clearly came from the distance. Li Xiuji obviously sensed it too and immediately reminded: “Immortal Master Jiang…”

“I can’t kill you, but others can.”

The moment the words fell, several streaks of red light rushed into the cave. The red light slammed toward Jiang Zhaoxue with a “boom.” Li Xiuji pulled Jiang Zhaoxue and leaped backward. When they landed, ten red-robed cultivators materialized around Jiang Zhaoxue.

Jiang Zhaoxue scanned around and discovered these were the cultivators who had initially fought with Pei Zichen. They were all above Nascent Soul stage, with a strange energy vaguely shrouding them, making their depths unfathomable.

After brief consideration, Jiang Zhaoxue guessed their identities: “The Ten Great Protectors of the Eternal Bliss Longevity Cult?”

“Correct.”

Mu Jinyue smiled. With a wave of her hand, Jiang Zhaoxue felt barriers rising around them. Mu Jinyue tilted her head and smiled: “Why do you think I chatted with you for so long? Do you think I enjoy talking with you? I was just waiting for people.”

Then Mu Jinyue spread her hands and introduced: “This place is already hidden by the Heavenly Dao. Right now even Pei Zichen can’t sense where you are. You, a fate master, dare come alone to break an ancient grand array? I think you’re tired of living. Ten Protectors,” Mu Jinyue’s voice turned sharp as she cracked her whip and shouted fiercely, “Attack!”

The whip charged toward Jiang Zhaoxue together with spell lights. Li Xiuji couldn’t dodge in time. Just as he urgently drew his sword in alarm, Jiang Zhaoxue was one step ahead, violently pulling him behind her. Facing the whip and spell lights, she struck out with a palm and shouted: “Tianjiao!”

“Ready!” Ye Tianjiao’s voice came from afar.

The Shanhe Bell boomed open at that instant. The red spell light struck the Shanhe Bell with a “dong” and bounced back. Only Mu Jinyue’s whip directly penetrated the Shanhe Bell’s barrier. Just as it was about to smash into Jiang Zhaoxue’s face, the sword intent Pei Zichen had left on her suddenly burst forth, catching Mu Jinyue off guard and blasting her flying backward with a “boom.”

“Heavenly Dao is fickle, gamble fate upon heaven, supreme great fortune, ten thousand arrays annihilated—” The Qiankun Sign flew forth. A great shout came from within the Shanhe Bell. Golden light hung high. Everyone looked up in alarm to see Jiang Zhaoxue with both hands forward, the Qiankun Sign spinning rapidly. She raised her eyes, her gaze falling on Mu Jinyue, eyes smiling: “Jinyue, actually I wanted to say that earlier too. Why do you think I talked with you for so long? Do you think I enjoy chatting with you?”

Mu Jinyue listened, shocked along with the Ten Protectors as they stared at Jiang Zhaoxue glowing with golden light inside the Shanhe Bell. After a moment, Mu Jinyue immediately realized and said urgently: “Jiang Zhaoxue, this is an ancient grand array. Forcibly gambling on fate—if you lose, the backlash will affect you yourself!”

“Who told you I’m forcibly gambling on fate?” Jiang Zhaoxue smiled. “Jinyue, being inexperienced is fine, but speaking nonsense is wrong. Today let this elder teach you—”

Jiang Zhaoxue’s expression turned stern: “What it means to be a fate master!”

With that, Jiang Zhaoxue pressed her palms together and shouted: “Open!”

A Qiankun divination slip fell from above, revealing the two characters for “middle fortune.” Jiang Zhaoxue grabbed the spirit slip and instantly crushed it!

Pure spiritual energy unique to the True Immortal Realm poured down from the Heaven-Reaching Pillar, thunderously impacting the entire mortal realm. The earth shook for a moment, then spiritual power surged forward one after another, rushing toward Jiang Zhaoxue’s direction like water droplets!

Spiritual energy whirled down like a vortex. The ground began trembling due to the overwhelmingly vast spiritual energy. Mu Jinyue looked in disbelief at the woman standing not far away. A golden formation array lit up beneath her feet as spiritual power swarmed in. Yet she was like a monster that could never be filled with spiritual power, madly absorbing it while her hand seals flipped rapidly.

Blood seeped from her skin, scattering onto the formation array beneath her feet. This array was like a transparent vessel filled with water, with Jiang Zhaoxue wrapped in its center, moving without wind.

Blood beads fell to the ground, seeping into the array. The instant the array’s patterns were filled with blood, a series of “crack” sounds came from overhead.

A stone fell down. Mu Jinyue finally reacted and couldn’t help saying: “What are you doing?! Where is this spiritual power coming from?!”

“For me to destroy a grand array myself would naturally be difficult. But for Penglai’s spiritual energy accumulated over tens of thousands of years to destroy one formation array,” Jiang Zhaoxue smiled, “I’d say there’s about a fifty percent chance.”

“Penglai? What do you mean?”

The Ten Protectors sensed danger and looked at Mu Jinyue beside them in alarm.

Mu Jinyue stared intently at Jiang Zhaoxue, watching the overwhelming spiritual energy pour in. She seemed to be remembering something. After a moment, she spoke through gritted teeth: “Kill her…”

As she spoke, the black shadow behind her suddenly enlarged. Purple-black malice appeared in her eyes as she commanded the Ten Protectors: “Even Penglai’s spiritual energy has limits. Summon everyone. Regardless of life or death, at any cost, break the Shanhe Bell and kill her!”

The moment the words fell, the black shadow behind Mu Jinyue crashed into the Shanhe Bell. The ten cultivators hastily rose and formed an array, quickly assembling it. A blood-red formation array unfolded beneath Jiang Zhaoxue’s feet, connecting the ten people. Black bats came overwhelmingly, madly crashing into the Shanhe Bell.

Apart from being supported by the artifact spirit’s own spiritual power, the Shanhe Bell relied entirely on Jiang Zhaoxue’s magical power for support. Seeing this, Jiang Zhaoxue understood Mu Jinyue’s intention—she planned to exhaust her.

While supporting the Shanhe Bell and destroying the array at the same time, even with Penglai’s power, she might not be able to manage both simultaneously.

“Seeking death.”

Jiang Zhaoxue gritted her teeth in anger. Freeing one hand, she threw a packet of talismans to Li Xiuji, then quickly began drawing arrays while instructing him: “These are protection talismans and swift movement talismans. Leave immediately now, call Pei Zichen’s name, and lure him here. After that, go find your mother. With my protective jade token and Tianji Academy’s grand array, even if Xin Luoyi emerges, at least the people inside the array can survive. As long as you reach your mother’s side, you can survive.”

Hearing this, Li Xiuji was stunned.

Seeing him dazed, Jiang Zhaoxue turned and scolded: “What are you standing there for? Go!”

With that, Jiang Zhaoxue’s hand that had finished drawing the array clenched into a fist, crushing the formation. Over ten spell lights separated from the Shanhe Bell, transforming into a long whip that lashed toward Mu Jinyue and the Ten Protectors, blocking everyone and clearing a path. She commanded Li Xiuji with a shout: “Run!”

This shout brought Li Xiuji to his senses. He grabbed the talismans and rushed out without hesitation!

The Swift Talisman made him charge forward at great speed. As he ran, he roared hoarsely: “Pei Zichen! Come save someone, Pei Zichen!”

He shouted himself hoarse. However, he was after all a ventriloquist—no matter how hard he tried, his voice was still much quieter than an ordinary person’s.

Jiang Zhaoxue stood in the formation array, restraining everyone. Her spiritual power surged impressively at first, but as time passed, the spell lights Jiang Zhaoxue used to block these people clearly weakened.

She fought against the power in the formation array above while using the whip transformed from spell light to lash at those around her. Her meridians began to ache faintly from the excessive spiritual energy washing through them. Watching Li Xiuji’s fateless back running alone, she recalled the infant full of fortune she’d first met at the market. The pain made her somewhat lose control. She couldn’t help shouting loudly: “Li Xiuji! Remember this—you are a person of great fortune, destined to ascend and become divine! You will never die at seventeen years old. In this world, no one but yourself can kill you! Run forward, don’t look back!”

Run forward, don’t look back.

You will never die at seventeen years old. In this world, no one but yourself can kill you.

Li Xiuji listened to her words, clutching the talismans Jiang Zhaoxue had given him. Seeing countless red-robed believers surging toward him, he continued shouting Pei Zichen’s name while gripping his long sword tightly, charging forward all the way.

He wouldn’t die.

After all these years, Jiang Zhaoxue was still the only one who firmly believed his fortune was extraordinary, that he wouldn’t die at seventeen.

He had heard countless prophecies. Every single person told him he should die, that he should have died in the past, that someone forcibly kept him alive, and at most until seventeen, he would certainly die.

But who was born wanting to die?

He wanted to live. The more unable he was to remain in this world, the more he struggled to live.

It was just that he’d struggled for so long, he had long grown weary and confused. But now, Jiang Zhaoxue said he wouldn’t die at seventeen.

In this world, no one but himself could kill him!

Hearing these words, a tremendous power suddenly arose in his heart. Watching the red-robed believers charging in like a flood with swords and blades, with several cultivators transforming into light and directly bypassing him to rush into the cave—while ordinary believers still charged toward him with blades raised—one person against a river, one egg against a stone—yet he still drew his sword and struck down at the crowd!

He was just a mortal, without Pei Zichen’s astonishing magical power. Each sword cut into flesh and blood, yet he desperately pushed forward without pause, continuously roaring: “Pei Zichen! Save someone! Pei Zichen!”

The protection talismans Jiang Zhaoxue gave him burned one by one. His voice drifted outward. Sword rising and falling, he went against the current. Just as he was about to reach the entrance, with protection talismans nearly depleted, he gritted his teeth and charged forward when suddenly a familiar aura came.

A moment later, sword intent carrying ice and snow thundered in. Everyone in the tunnel instantly froze into ice!

Li Xiuji was greatly alarmed by that sword intent, but he forced himself not to stop, charging into the sword intent.

Yet when that sword intent reached his face, it was like a spring breeze, circling around him and going behind. Then the black-robed youth with shattered hair ornament and covered in blood rushed in at great speed. Wherever he passed, ice and snow shattered. Ice particles exploded throughout the tunnel, refracting crystalline translucent brilliance amid the cunning spells.

Neither paused for even a moment—one going in, one going out. As they passed each other, Li Xiuji suddenly felt the other person pat his shoulder.

A power poured into Li Xiuji’s body. Li Xiuji didn’t dare look back. He heard Pei Zichen’s voice, calmly saying: “The cultivation method I promised to teach you—go comprehend it yourself!”

That power completely different from immortal energy surged through Li Xiuji’s body. Li Xiuji, wearing the Swift Talisman, ran madly toward where Pei Shulan was.

Pei Zichen’s cultivation method required no spiritual root—it was a method he could cultivate.

The destiny Jiang Zhaoxue pointed out for him was a future he could glimpse.

The place where Pei Shulan was…

Going home…

Home.

After fourteen years, since being abandoned at age three, what he’d sought all his life…

Home!

He ran out like a madman. He was like Kuafu, like a swift bird, like the wind galloping across heaven and earth, charging forward without restraint toward the direction the youth finally no longer concealed!

Opposite to him, Pei Zichen charged straight into the cave dwelling. Dead bodies lay scattered everywhere. The resentment and ghostly energy condensed from death followed Pei Zichen as they charged together into the corridor, rolling into Mu Jinyue’s body, rapidly flowing throughout her body before transforming into power, lashing whip after whip at the Shanhe Bell.

The Shanhe Bell rang shrilly. Just as the barrier was about to shatter, the sword intent protecting Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t be controlled. It leaped out from beside Jiang Zhaoxue, circling around the Shanhe Bell to protect its barrier.

However, this protection greatly pleased Mu Jinyue. Pei Zichen’s sword intent expanding its protective range also meant weakening the power in that area. She immediately found the weak point, instantly transforming into black energy, squeezing through the crack in the Shanhe Bell’s barrier, forming into human shape as she leaped high, lashing her whip toward Jiang Zhaoxue!

“Master!”

A’Nan screamed. Jiang Zhaoxue turned back in cold alarm. The moment she looked back, she saw sword light breaking through the black fog. The black-robed youth raised his hand in a grab. Mu Jinyue suddenly felt a tremendous pulling force as if tearing her apart coming from behind, yanking her entire body backward!

Mu Jinyue didn’t dare be careless. She quickly dispersed into black smoke. Pei Zichen simultaneously rushed forward, catching the flying sword that was thrown out. With a horizontal sweep, spiritual power exploded in a circle. The Ten Protectors hastily formed their array. The ten combining their strength barely suppressed Pei Zichen’s spiritual power. When the spiritual power settled and both sides looked up while panting, they saw Pei Zichen with disheveled hair standing before Jiang Zhaoxue, his entire body covered in blood, coldly staring at everyone: “Those who dare approach—die!”

No one present dared speak. The entrance was full of believers. Everyone stood frozen in place. Only Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes, her gaze falling on the wounds covering Pei Zichen’s body.

He now bore the Spirit-Locking Array, using his own spiritual power to trap Xin Luoyi. Even with Shen Yuqing’s spiritual power serving as his spirit reservoir, Shen Yuqing was ultimately human. The more he was continuously depleted like this, the shorter the time he could trap Xin Luoyi.

When his spiritual power became insufficient, what the Spirit-Locking Array would extract would be his life.

She could never let Pei Zichen reach that point, nor would she abandon this group of people she knew—Ye Tianjiao, Li Xiuji, Qian Sisi, Ye Wenzhi.

She couldn’t lose and wouldn’t lose.

Jiang Zhaoxue’s expression turned stern. She raised her hand and let Penglai’s spell light fall upon Pei Zichen. His wounds vanished. Sensing his injuries disappear, he stared at everyone and immediately said: “Female Lord need not concern yourself with me.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue laughed lightly and joked: “But you’re standing in front of me. How can I turn a blind eye?”

Pei Zichen’s movements froze. In just this brief moment, Mu Jinyue urgently called out: “Senior Brother, if you obtain the Zhanshen Sword, you’ll possess all the divine artifacts. After the five divine artifacts unite, you’ll be the strongest person under heaven. Only by becoming the strongest can you protect what you want. Why must you persist in this delusion?!”

“What does this have to do with me?”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen raised his eyes and said calmly: “I don’t want to be the strongest. And my path doesn’t need to be purchased with human lives.”

These words seemed to pierce Mu Jinyue. Her pupils contracted slightly as she said through gritted teeth: “Are you abandoning the supreme position for this woman?”

Pei Zichen frowned, seemingly puzzled: “What supreme position?”

“Good… good…” Mu Jinyue listened, eyes filled with hatred, laughing bitterly: “Since you persist in your delusion now, Jinyue can only help clear your path! I want to see—if enough lives are piled up, just how great is the gap between you and me!”

The moment the words fell, Pei Zichen’s sword light shot forth urgently. Mu Jinyue retreated backward. Her spiritual power crashed thunderously toward the surroundings. The surrounding walls instantly shattered into flying debris, leaving only a central pillar supporting the blood pool above.

Only after the surrounding mountain body was broken apart did Jiang Zhaoxue finally see clearly—all around them were densely packed red-robed believers. Mu Jinyue leaped into the crowd and vanished instantly.

Pei Zichen’s sword stopped urgently. His fingers formed sword seals as he protected Jiang Zhaoxue, coldly watching the surroundings.

“Master’s Wife,” Mu Jinyue’s voice rang out from all directions as she laughed: “I heard you fate masters value fortune most. Tell me, if all these people die before your Shanhe Bell, with so many lives—won’t it ruin your fortune?”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue’s pupils contracted sharply.

If these mortals died at the Shanhe Bell, the karmic consequences would be hers. Even if these were evildoers, if a mortal killed too many, it would damage her fortune.

For a fate master, nothing was more important than fortune. Mu Jinyue’s intention was to use these mortal lives to exhaust her fortune. Once her fortune was depleted, she would immediately suffer backlash from the grand array she was destroying!

“Female Lord.”

Pei Zichen’s voice suddenly rang out ahead. Jiang Zhaoxue looked up questioningly to see Pei Zichen turn back, looking at her anxiously: “If I use Jiuyou Realm techniques, will you hate me?”

Jiang Zhaoxue was stunned. She looked at Pei Zichen’s uneasy eyes and heard Mu Jinyue shout: “Come, gentlemen! Enter the ghost path, seek eternal bliss! Those who die for our god today will surely attain the realm of eternal bliss—immortal life, everlasting joy!”

Hearing this, the Ten Protectors exchanged glances. Their dharma images appeared as they faced all the believers and shouted loudly: “Enter the ghost path, seek eternal bliss! Gentlemen, come forward and kill!”

The moment the words fell, these people seemed to receive some promise. Shouting battle cries, they rushed forward like moths to a flame!

Pei Zichen’s expression turned cold. Without time to wait for Jiang Zhaoxue’s answer, he scattered the white paper figures in his hand as his hands rapidly formed seals.

Black energy rose from his body, swirling skyward around them. Sword light became like a merciless cleaver, madly slaughtering the mortals about to rush upon the Shanhe Bell. Blood sprayed forth. Pei Zichen’s hand seals flipped rapidly as he chanted coldly: “Yin paper becomes mortal flesh, blood ink marks three souls, seven spirits I sculpt, immortal essence infuses nine roots, heaven and earth serve the Dao, yin and yang I alone command, summon millions upon millions, all become my immortal subjects! Shadow Paper Immortals—”

The moment the words fell, Pei Zichen raised his hand in a slash as blood scattered forth: “Go!”

Instantly, those paper figures floating in the air seemed to come alive, shrieking as they rushed forward.

They split from one to two in the air, two to four… Soon they were so densely packed their numbers couldn’t be counted. Then they transformed in mid-air into faceless figures wearing cloaks and wielding steel blades, landing to form a surrounding wall that blocked all the believers behind them at the mountain’s base.

“Senior Brother,” seeing the technique Pei Zichen revealed, Mu Jinyue wasn’t surprised at all. She sneered: “These are all mortals. If you use Shadow Paper Immortals to kill them, aren’t you afraid the karmic consequences will fall on your head?”

“I’m not afraid.”

Pei Zichen’s tone was cold. He raised his eyes to look at Mu Jinyue, threatening without the slightest concealment: “Even if it means being hated by the Female Lord, if you dare come, I dare kill.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes to look at the person standing ahead.

His hair ornament had scattered, his black robes with wide sleeves—for that instant, she vaguely felt he seemed to overlap with the back of that “senior” who had always lingered in the gaps of time.

She looked at him. Pei Zichen never dared turn back. All the paper figures were locked in confrontation with those mortals. The Ten Protectors kept trying to break through Pei Zichen’s sword array. His spiritual power depleted rapidly. One person supporting Xin Luoyi’s Spirit-Locking Array, confronting the Ten Protectors, and also withstanding the impact of countless common people.

If he weren’t at the end of his rope, he wouldn’t use Jiuyou Realm techniques in front of her.

He always hoped that in her heart, Pei Zichen would forever be that gentleman of Lingjian Immortal Pavilion.

Realizing why he hadn’t turned back, Jiang Zhaoxue’s heart trembled slightly.

She looked up at the formation array above, gradually covered by her blood, feeling the spiritual power assault the Shanhe Bell endured and the pain in her meridians. Finally, she softly called: “Pei Zichen.”

Pei Zichen’s form trembled slightly. He opened his mouth with some difficulty: “Female Lord…”

“I will never hate you.”

The moment Jiang Zhaoxue’s voice emerged, Pei Zichen turned back in astonishment to see Jiang Zhaoxue looking up at the heights, saying earnestly: “Kill freely. The heavenly fate,” Jiang Zhaoxue turned to look at him, her eyes clear and determined, “I will bear it with you.”

The instant the words fell, Pei Zichen felt a formation array suddenly light up beneath his feet. Spiritual power from Penglai poured into his entire body from beneath the array.

Pei Zichen’s eyes widened in panic as he saw Jiang Zhaoxue smile.

“What are you looking at? Go!”

Jiang Zhaoxue spoke with a smile. Her gaze swept across the surrounding Ten Protectors and Mu Jinyue as she declared arrogantly: “Now, your sword is my sword, your crimes are my crimes, those you kill are killed by me together. Life and death shared, karmic consequences jointly borne. Come, let me see just how capable you are. Go kill all these bastards for me!”

Then Jiang Zhaoxue sneered: “They’ve gotten used to bullying good people, haven’t they? Go teach them what it means to suppress evil with evil, to stop killing with killing!”

The moment the words fell, Jiang Zhaoxue raised her hand first in a wave. The light whip from the Shanhe Bell lashed toward the Ten Protectors once more. Pei Zichen’s eyes moved. After merely responding with a “yes,” he immediately drew his sword toward the Ten Protectors!

The fierce sword wind struck forth. The Ten Protectors cried out in shock and shouted: “Cult Leader!”

“Song Wulan!”

Mu Jinyue’s hand turned as a red umbrella instantly opened before the Ten Protectors, blocking Pei Zichen’s sharp sword as she called out loudly: “If you don’t act now, what will we do if the Sacred Pool’s formation array is gone!”

“Don’t worry,” Song Wulan’s voice came from somewhere, sounding lazy: “Heavenly fate comes when it’s meant to. Don’t you want to test his depths?”

Song Wulan chuckled lightly: “Immortal Master Mu, I’ll temporarily suppress his restraint against you. You can fight with all your strength—perhaps…”

Before Song Wulan finished, Mu Jinyue already knew his meaning.

She sneered coldly and only said: “How dare you presume to comment on the Master?”

But looking up at the fierce sword intent coming toward her, she had no way to avoid it. She could only grit her teeth. She raised her hand to close the red umbrella and flung it toward Pei Zichen, saying coldly: “Quickly go close the passage to Penglai.”

While Jiang Zhaoxue and Pei Zichen fought intensely at Xuecang Mountain, beneath the Dingkun Needle, everything was extraordinarily peaceful.

Burying the Dingkun Needle into the earth wasn’t easy. Almost all of Tianji Academy’s elite cultivators had exerted their full strength before finally embedding the Dingkun Needle. After it was buried, Ye Tianjiao followed the method Jiang Zhaoxue had given him to open the passage connecting Penglai and the True Immortal Realm.

After spiritual power began transmitting, their task was to protect the Dingkun Needle. But from the moment Jiang Zhaoxue began destroying the array, everything had been peaceful.

No one came to sabotage, no one came to interfere. Everyone sat quietly beneath the Dingkun Needle, watching this pillar that had become as thick as ten people embracing it, connecting to the sky, feeling the repeated spiritual power explosions from distant Xuecang Mountain. They gazed at the starry sky, waiting for dawn.

No one could sleep. Ye Wenzhi had prepared wine. He carried it over to Ye Tianjiao’s side and handed it to him: “Drink some wine to warm yourself.”

“Huh?” Seeing this wine, Ye Tianjiao found it strange: “You never let me drink wine before?”

Hearing this, Ye Wenzhi smiled bitterly. He looked at the young man before him and sighed softly: “You’re also thirty years old now. Having some wine doesn’t matter.”

“Then why did you control me before?” Ye Tianjiao was unhappy, muttering: “Before when I wanted to drink, you wouldn’t give me any.”

“Because you were too childish, I couldn’t help but be overprotective.” Ye Wenzhi sighed helplessly: “Big brother was wrong.”

“No, no, no,” Ye Tianjiao smelled the wine and raised his eyes: “I want you to keep controlling me for life. You’re a mortal—rest well. I’ll go give this to my master to drink.”

Ye Wenzhi, wearing his cloak, smiled: “That’s fine. Immortal Master Gu likes to drink. You go give it to him.”

Without Ye Wenzhi saying more, Ye Tianjiao happily took the wine and ran to beneath the Dingkun Needle.

His master Gu Qingshan was currently the only remaining elder of Tianji Academy. He guarded closest to the Dingkun Needle, observing its reactions at all times.

Ye Tianjiao passed through the crowd and ran to Gu Qingshan’s side, crouching down: “Old man, my brother’s treating you to wine!”

“What ‘old man, old man,'” Gu Qingshan heard this and said impatiently: “Show some respect. I’m your master!”

“Oh come on, I told you—my brother pressured me into joining Tianji Academy,” Ye Tianjiao said, sitting beside Gu Qingshan and handing him the wine pouch. He sighed: “Originally I thought I could help my brother in the court. Later the court was gone, and I was just full of passion, wanting to do something for the common people. Once this matter is over, I won’t stay here even one more day.”

“Nonsense.” Gu Qingshan sneered: “If you don’t stay here, where will you go?”

“I’ll travel and sightsee, start a family and raise children. What can’t I do instead of cultivating the Dao?” Ye Tianjiao looked up at the sky: “Cultivate the Dao, cultivate the Dao—cultivate until everyone around you is gone, everyone’s dead. What’s the point of me living?”

“Shut up,” Gu Qingshan took a sip of wine. “Why did heaven give talent to someone like you?”

“I told you that you definitely value my exceptional talent, right?” Ye Tianjiao laughed, then sensed the distance and said curiously: “Sister should be almost done.”

“Dawn is coming.”

Gu Qingshan was a Union stage cultivator, able to sense far more than Ye Tianjiao.

He closed his eyes and said slowly: “Immortal Master Jiang is about to succeed. When dawn breaks, everything will be over. As long as that grand array feeding on people’s lives is gone, a mere vengeful evil spirit, a thirty-year-old fate master,” coldness appeared in Gu Qingshan’s eyes, “I’ll tear them apart!”

With that, Gu Qingshan prepared to drink. But just as he moved, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He looked keenly to the side to see a young man standing there at some point.

The young man wore green robes, looking up at the Dingkun Needle with eyes full of appreciation.

Upon seeing the young man, both Ye Tianjiao and Gu Qingshan were startled. Ye Tianjiao quickly stood up, anger in his voice: “The废 Crown Prince?!”

“Penglai’s sacred object, the Dingqian Divine Needle.”

Song Wulan completely ignored Ye Tianjiao’s words and sighed: “Such a divine object—it would be a shame to destroy it.”

“Daoist Song,” hearing this, Gu Qingshan waved his sleeves and stood up, calmly saying: “This is an object of the True Immortal Realm, not something we mortals can break.”

Hearing this, Song Wulan’s lips curved: “But what if heaven wants to break it?”

Gu Qingshan froze. Song Wulan continued: “You are all people whose names are written in the Book of Fate as meant to die. Heavenly fate cannot be changed, the fate book cannot be defied. Do you truly believe the Dingkun Needle won’t break?”

With that, the sky suddenly trembled. Ye Tianjiao looked up in alarm to see clouds and mist shaking in the heights. An enormous hand emerged from the clouds.

Song Wulan looked up at the sky and sighed with regret: “Look, it broke.”

The moment the words fell, Ye Tianjiao watched as the Dingkun Needle in the sky was grabbed at the waist and crushed. Everything became extraordinarily slow. He watched as that massive object shattered apart, as if heaven and earth were collapsing, mountains and rivers overturning.

Gu Qingshan reacted first, shouting urgently: “Form the array! Everyone, protect the Dingkun Needle’s foundation, form the array!”

Only Ye Tianjiao stared blankly at the Dingkun Needle. When he came to his senses, he cried out in terror: “Sister!!!”

But it was already too late.

Jiang Zhaoxue was in the cave beneath Xuecang Mountain, surrounded by corpses everywhere. Of the Ten Protectors, only three of ten remained. Both Pei Zichen and Mu Jinyue were covered in wounds, but Pei Zichen, borrowing the power she gave him, struggled to stand up, wanting to kill Mu Jinyue.

Mu Jinyue could barely move either. She looked at Jiang Zhaoxue standing not far away, her snow-white robes also soaked with blood, face pale, cold sweat dripping from her forehead, concentrating on the final moment.

The formation array above had already been stained by her blood. Only one final section remained before she could completely take over this grand array and destroy it.

Mu Jinyue watched as her blood crept forward bit by bit, watching Pei Zichen struggle to climb up. She lay on the ground, also desperately trying to rise, supporting herself while falling back down, panting: “Do you truly believe you can change anything?”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t respond to her, continuing to extract the Heaven-Reaching Pillar’s power to press the original force in the formation array forward.

Mu Jinyue gritted her teeth and couldn’t help continuing: “Do you think you can make it to the end? Why don’t you go see what’s happening with the Dingkun Needle?”

“The Dingkun Needle is Penglai’s sacred object. Those who aren’t from Penglai cannot use it, cannot break it.”

Jiang Zhaoxue spoke calmly: “If you want to destroy it, you must first see if you have that ability.”

“What if it’s someone from Penglai?”

Mu Jinyue spoke, her tone mocking.

Jiang Zhaoxue paused. In just that instant, from the direction of the Dingkun Needle in the distance came a thunderous “boom,” accompanied by Ye Tianjiao’s terrified voice “Sister!!!” In that moment, the divine power in Jiang Zhaoxue’s hands instantly collapsed. The power in the array immediately backlashed. Jiang Zhaoxue was violently thrown back by the backlashing force. Pei Zichen suddenly burst forward, catching Jiang Zhaoxue as they both crashed heavily to the ground!

Jiang Zhaoxue spat out a mouthful of blood that sprayed onto Pei Zichen. At the same time, Xin Luoyi in the blood pool above suddenly became agitated and began struggling desperately.

Pei Zichen’s face turned deathly pale as spiritual power continuously overflowed from his body. Jiang Zhaoxue instantly reacted, grabbing Pei Zichen: “Zichen!”

“Don’t worry about me…”

Pei Zichen’s lips trembled as he said with difficulty: “Continue!”

“Continue.”

Hearing Pei Zichen’s words, Mu Jinyue beside them laughed. She lay on the ground as if watching a good show, laughing through blood: “Without Penglai’s power, you dare touch an ancient grand array? It will backlash.”

Jiang Zhaoxue listened, holding Pei Zichen, unable to speak for a moment.

She transmitted her spiritual power to Pei Zichen, yet the Spirit-Locking Array was like an insatiably greedy beast, desperately devouring Pei Zichen’s spiritual power.

Pei Zichen couldn’t hold on anymore…

Or rather, he actually couldn’t hold on long ago.

The two of them had been barely managing by relying on the power the Dingkun Needle provided. With the Dingkun Needle withdrawn, they couldn’t even barely manage.

Mu Jinyue seemed to see their predicament. Lying on the ground, also seeming tired, she sighed: “Why bother? Why fight desperately for these people, why save them? Just take the Zhanshen Sword and leave. Wouldn’t that be good?”

Jiang Zhaoxue said nothing. She held Pei Zichen’s gradually cooling hand. As Pei Zichen’s spiritual power weakened, she also clearly felt the surrounding barrier thinning.

Where to go?

What to do?

Jiang Zhaoxue held Pei Zichen. The whole person seemed to have reached a dead end. In that moment, her divine consciousness connected to all her temples.

These were the temples Pei Zichen had erected for her one by one during his time in the mortal realm. Though these temples were dilapidated, in that moment they seemed to become her eyes, her ears.

She clearly saw the Dingkun Needle collapse and crash toward the mortal world.

She clearly saw the about-to-awaken Xin Luoyi extracting primordial spirits from people. For thousands and thousands of miles all around, countless common people’s primordial spirits flew out. The pain of having their spirits torn made everyone roll on the ground wailing.

They didn’t understand what was happening, only felt that nightmares had suddenly descended. Mothers held children as they knelt and wept bitterly, families embraced and cried. In the distance before the Dingkun Needle, all the cultivators surrounded it, desperately pouring spiritual power into the needle, seemingly trying to make one final effort to save it.

Only Ye Tianjiao knelt beside them, using spiritual power to pour into Ye Wenzhi’s body, desperately suppressing the primordial spirit about to be extracted from him, yet unable to hold it down. He could only cry as he pleaded: “Brother, brother don’t go! Brother, I’m sorry, I should have cultivated properly, I shouldn’t have been playful, shouldn’t have been lazy. I’ll listen to you from now on, I’ll listen to everything you say—”

“Tianjiao!”

Gu Qingshan sat beside them. Ye Tianjiao looked over through tears to see Gu Qingshan staring intently at the Dingkun Needle, saying through gritted teeth: “Tell Immortal Master Jiang that the Dingkun Needle still exists, we still exist. It still has the possibility of reaching heaven. As long as you can comprehend the way of talismans and create original talismans, you can repair the Dingkun Needle.”

“I can’t…” Hearing this, Ye Tianjiao shook his head: “Master, I can’t do it. I have no way… This is heavenly fate.”

Ye Tianjiao seemed to have found some anchor, saying tremulously: “This is heavenly fate, Master. I can’t do it…”

“There is no heavenly fate.”

As Gu Qingshan spoke, he stood up. He stepped forward, calling out loudly: “Immortal Master Jiang, the Dingkun Needle will not break. Our Tianji Academy still stands. My disciple will surely comprehend the way of talismans. Please don’t give up on him, Immortal Master Jiang. Give us time.”

Through her divine consciousness, Jiang Zhaoxue observed these scenes. She vaguely sensed what Gu Qingshan was about to do. Yet Ye Tianjiao still didn’t understand. He only watched as Gu Qingshan turned back to smile at him, then strode forward. Before Ye Tianjiao could react, he suddenly rushed ahead. His Nascent Soul completely exploded as he threw all his power into the Dingkun Needle!

The moment blood blossomed, Ye Tianjiao’s eyes widened instantly as he roared: “Master!”

That was the first time he called this old man master.

It was also the last time he called this old man master.

He looked at the Dingkun Needle stained with blood, in such pain he didn’t even have the strength to stand. He knelt on the ground, gasping heavily.

Jiang Zhaoxue watched these scenes, holding Pei Zichen tightly. Above her head was the roaring sound of Xin Luoyi struggling to break free. In her arms was Pei Zichen’s gradually cooling body. Mu Jinyue looked at her and urged: “Stop Senior Brother’s Spirit-Locking Array. Do you really want to let Senior Brother die here for these people destined to die?”

She couldn’t let Pei Zichen die here.

She couldn’t die here.

They had agreed—enough was enough, do one’s best then retreat.

Jiang Zhaoxue forced herself with reason, raising her hand to sever Pei Zichen’s Spirit-Locking Array.

But the moment her hand touched Pei Zichen’s body, he grabbed her hand.

Jiang Zhaoxue’s movements froze. She saw Pei Zichen raise his head. He breathed lightly, saying hoarsely: “It’s me who’s unwilling to give up.”

Jiang Zhaoxue stared blankly at him. She watched the young man gaze at her eyes. Pei Zichen seemed to already know what she wanted. He raised his hand to hold hers, saying hoarsely: “I petition Penglai’s True Martial Primordial Lord.”

With that, he held her hand to his forehead: “Protect me.”

Jiang Zhaoxue’s hand trembled. Pei Zichen closed his eyes, softly making his wish: “Protect my friends, protect those I know, protect those I meet by chance, protect the one I love. May my Yaoyao have no regrets, no guilt, no struggles, no choices. You just keep moving forward—”

He spoke, opening his eyes: “I’ll be right behind you.”

Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t speak. She looked at the calm eyes of the person before her, pressed her lips tight, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Pei Zichen.”

Pei Zichen looked at her quietly. He was like a beast bound by iron chains. Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ve discovered I still can’t bear to let you die.”

Pei Zichen froze. He felt Jiang Zhaoxue suddenly exert force and crush the Spirit-Locking Array on his body!

In that instant, Xin Luoyi roared out. Jiang Zhaoxue raised her hand and flung the Qiankun Sign, shouting loudly: “Heavenly Dao is fickle, gamble fate upon heaven, supreme great fortune, Dragon-Locking Array, Spirit-Gathering Array, open!”

Jiang Zhaoxue opened two arrays at once. The Dragon-Locking Array locked Xin Luoyi. The Spirit-Gathering Array would lock the people’s primordial spirits, preventing Xin Luoyi from devouring their spiritual power.

The middle fortune divination slip flew upward.

Jiang Zhaoxue raised her hand to crush it as she rushed straight outside!

Seeing this, Mu Jinyue suddenly reacted. She raised her hand to directly cut the throat of the barely alive cultivator beside her, absorbing his death energy as she rushed after Jiang Zhaoxue!

Pei Zichen felt the spiritual power suddenly backlashing after the Spirit-Locking Array was severed. He forced himself to lunge forward and grabbed Mu Jinyue back!

At the same time, he released the restriction on Shen Yuqing, urgently calling: “Master, come help her!”

Hearing this, Shen Yuqing was stunned, then sensing Jiang Zhaoxue’s location, he rushed out in panic.

His spiritual power had been nearly depleted by Pei Zichen. He could only run wildly outside.

The road was full of corpses and common people suffering from losing their primordial spirits or even their lives. He stepped through pools of blood, desperately absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.

At this moment, Jiang Zhaoxue leaped out of the cave, riding the white crane toward the heights of the Sacred Pool.

Wind blew through her hair. She watched the distant sky beginning to brighten, watched as the two formation arrays she had set up spread open above the Sacred Pool, tumbling and roaring in the blood pool. Xin Luoyi, who had originally rushed out, was yanked and locked again.

She rushed toward the heights at great speed, facing the dawn light and cool breeze.

A sigh came from the heights. Song Wulan’s voice came from all directions, sighing: “Your two formation arrays can’t hold for even a quarter hour. Why bother?”

“How can it be useless?” Jiang Zhaoxue steered the white crane to stop high above the Sacred Pool, overlooking this volcano-like pool as she rapidly formed seals, calmly saying: “The Spirit-Forbidding Array overhead can block any plundering of primordial spirits.”

“So what?” Song Wulan wondered. “Your Spirit-Forbidding Array can’t last long. You also can’t possibly open a Spirit-Forbidding Array above everyone’s head.”

“Who says I can’t?” Jiang Zhaoxue raised her eyes to look ahead. Her hands drew rapidly as she said calmly: “The limitation for fate masters opening arrays is the limitation of their own spiritual power. It’s difficult for me to save tens of millions, but what if I only save one person? What if the person I save is also giving me power, also saving themselves? I’ll only save one person, only open one array. This requires very little spiritual power. Then I’ll open tens of millions of arrays for tens of millions of people! Each person with their own patch of sky above,” Jiang Zhaoxue pressed her palms together, her face showing a smile tinged with madness, “then let me, Jiang Zhaoxue, become their sky!”

With that, Jiang Zhaoxue pulled her hands apart. The Qiankun Sign shook before her as she rapidly chanted spells, calmly saying: “Heavenly Dao is fickle, gamble life upon heaven, supreme great fortune, universal great fortune—”

The Qiankun Sign shook rapidly.

Seeing this, Song Wulan chuckled lightly: “Universal great fortune? You dare make such a wish? If you draw the worst fortune, you’ll surely die.”

Jiang Zhaoxue said nothing. She floated in mid-air, fingers forming seals as she gazed into the distance.

She connected her divine consciousness to all her temples.

Whether long neglected or abandoned to wilderness, whether in Great Xia or the Northern Territory, she easily connected to all her temples. In every place in this world where people could see, along with the rising sun, she revealed her dharma image.

The enormous dharma image, illuminated by the morning light, looked down upon the mortal world from the sky.

All the common people watched this scene in astonishment. They saw the goddess with fingers forming seals, clouds and rosy light as her celestial sash filling the sky. Then her dharma voice spread to every corner of the world, declaring solemnly: “I am Penglai’s True Martial Primordial Lord. By command of the Heavenly Dao, I shall execute the evil path of Eternal Bliss Longevity and save you all from myriad difficulties! Those whose loved ones suffer and bear hatred, make your wish to me; those whose family and friends suffer in agony, make your wish to me; those whose own bodies fall into fire and flood, make your wish to me. All hardships under heaven, I with my immortal body shall answer all wishes. I beseech you all—summon Penglai’s True Martial Primordial Lord—”

“Penglai’s True Martial Primordial Lord…”

Someone murmured her title, then reacted: “It’s an immortal! An immortal has come to save us!”

“Save my child—”

“Save my family—”

“Save me—”

“Immortal, Penglai’s True Martial Primordial Lord, please—”

“Protect us!”

Jiang Zhaoxue listened to the prayers from all living beings, feeling power coming from everywhere in the world, pouring into her body. She closed her eyes, pressed her palms together, and in the morning light, flung a spirit slip outward.

Shen Yuqing watched her from afar, running through the crowd. Amid everyone’s kneeling prayers, he watched the radiant woman’s movements in the distance and cried out: “Don’t!!!”

But he was too late. He only saw light explode from Jiang Zhaoxue’s body in an instant, then countless light arrays with her as the center, covering from near to far above everyone’s heads.

Those were tens of millions of people, endless people. Power rapidly flowed out from Jiang Zhaoxue’s body. Shen Yuqing watched in panic as her hair turned silver-white. Ignoring the pain of his meridians nearly shattering, he leaped onto his sword and rushed toward Jiang Zhaoxue at great speed!

It was at that very moment that tens of millions of faith powers suddenly surged toward Jiang Zhaoxue like fireflies. Wind and clouds rose around her as spiritual power poured into her body like a whirlpool.

Jiang Zhaoxue felt as if her entire body was about to explode, but she still endured the pain, converting those incoming faith powers circle by circle into spiritual power and transmitting them outward.

However, the power grew more and more abundant, and the required power grew larger and larger. The speed at which her meridians operated was far from keeping up with both. Countless faith powers accumulated in her meridians until finally, unavoidable, like a flood bursting through a dam, they exploded thunderously!

Spiritual waves like towering ocean tides swept across the entire realm. The formation arrays were like sky-supporting umbrellas opening above everyone’s heads. The woman in the heights rose together with the sun, her radiance eclipsing the sun—

Eighth Realm Fate Master—Jiang Zhaoxue had achieved it!