“Miss Xiang?” Yin Changli called to her again.

He stepped half a pace forward with his left foot, then withdrew it imperceptibly.

Xiang Haikui, with her back to him, detected a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

“Senior, I stopped being angry long ago.” The desert wind made her head ache, and she rubbed her temples.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“That’s good.” Yin Changli felt an urge to join them, to sit together and build rapport, accelerating his descent to the mortal realm.

But neither of them turned around, their backs looking stiffer than ever.

Their fear of him hadn’t diminished.

“Are you watching the sunset?” Yin Changli raised his head. The sunset still shone with residual brilliance, causing him to squint as he admired it: “The desert sunset is beautiful.”

After his words fell, there was a long pause. Neither responded, showing no intention of inviting him to join.

Yin Changli turned away, disappointed.

Xiang Haikui and Bai Xingxian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, just as he entered the corridor, he suddenly returned and sat down on the bare rock steps next to Xiang Haikui.

Xiang Haikui quickly shifted toward Bai Xingxian, then took the sword case off her back and placed it between herself and Yin Changli.

Hearing the movement, Yin Changli placed his hand on the sword case: “Miss Xiang, why is your sword constantly hitting the case?”

“Oh, it’s like this, Senior. Tomorrow I will have a life-and-death battle, so it’s… excited.”

It was jumping quite happily, but not generating any wild intent. Xiang Haikui believed it was laughing at the boss.

This was certainly something she couldn’t tell the truth about.

Yin Changli nodded, hesitated repeatedly, then sincerely said: “Miss Xiang, I am genuinely apologizing to you. In the past, I seem to have done many… despicable things to you. I hope you can forgive me…”

Xiang Haikui transmitted: “Little Bai, you said the Senior’s mind is broken, but his actions have logic. Yet if you say he’s normal, why does he seem like a different person?”

It was as if he had suddenly taken a new script.

Creating a new character setting.

Bai Xingxian had no idea and shook his head.

At this moment, Lu Xiqiao came out chewing on sugarcane. Seeing Yin Changli’s monk robe, his eyes immediately lit up: “Dao Chen, when you went out this morning, you were covered in sunflowers. After a day in the sun, how did they turn into little dogs?”

“With so many dogs, are you trying to distract your opponents during combat?”

“How many dogs are there in total?”

With nothing better to do, Lu Xiqiao extended his finger and began counting the patterns.

Yin Changli stood up, turning to give him a polite but distant smile: “Young Master Lu, my Buddha once said that if a person cannot control their mouth and talks too much, their lifespan tends to be shorter.”

Lu Xiqiao stopped counting dogs and frowned: “Is there a reason for that?”

Yin Changli pressed his palms together with a slight smile: “Because they’re especially easy to be beaten to death.”

After speaking, he uttered “Amitabha” and walked around Lu Xiqiao into the Buddha Cave.

Lu Xiqiao was momentarily stunned before realizing he was being teased. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to go after him.

Bai Xingxian quickly grabbed him: “Don’t. You really will die.”

Xiang Haikui watched Yin Changli’s figure disappear into the corridor with some surprise.

The boss’s newly created “approachable” persona seemed to be aimed only at her and Bai Xingxian.

Lu Xiqiao, accustomed to being ridiculed, wasn’t truly angry. He turned to Xiang Haikui and gave a thumbs up: “What did I tell you? Sister Kui is someone who accomplishes great things. It’s been just a few days, and you’ve already made Dao Chen fall at your feet.”

Xiang Haikui made an “ah” sound.

Lu Xiqiao took a bite of sugarcane: “Can’t you see that Dao Chen treats you exceptionally?”

Xiang Haikui pointed at Bai Xingxian: “He treats both of us that way.”

“No, Little Sister Kui.” Reminded by Lu Xiqiao, Bai Xingxian suddenly realized and transmitted silently, “When Uncle is alone with me, he’s not as agreeable as when you’re present.”

“You must be joking,” Xiang Haikui shook her head vigorously, refusing to believe this.

“It’s indeed impossible,” Bai Xingxian scratched the back of his head, his handsome manga-like face wrinkled like a bitter gourd. “You pickled Uncle, you chopped Uncle—it’s remarkable enough that he doesn’t hold a grudge. How could he possibly develop any special feelings for you?”

Hearing Little Bai’s denial, Xiang Haikui thought, well, it’s not entirely impossible.

Perhaps beneath all those layers of disguise, the boss’s true nature might be that of an M!

Xiang Haikui rested her chin on her palm, listening to the smacking sounds of Lu Xiqiao’s mouth, imagining various small whips, candles, chains…

Suddenly, the air currents around them changed.

She quickly withdrew her thoughts and sent her divine sense to the source of the disturbance using the Wind-Tracking Air Observation technique.

It was coming from behind the Buddha Cave, a hundred zhang away, where several sand scorpions were rapidly moving just below the sand’s surface.

Their targets were two little monks returning with water.

Xiang Haikui slapped the sword case, and Tian Kuang sprang out. She grabbed the sword and leaped onto the roof of the Buddha Cave.

Then, like an arrow released from a bowstring, she dashed forward.

The sword tip cut through the air, drawing a long, straight line of fire. When she reached the rear of the Buddha Cave, she pushed off with her feet and soared into the air.

The fire line followed her figure, changing to an arc, and landed in front of the two little monks.

The little monks were startled. Seeing the brilliant fire line in midair, their first reaction was to touch their necks to check if their heads were still attached.

Upon recognizing Xiang Haikui, their water buckets fell to the ground with a splash.

This woman was the demon who had killed Young Master Ye.

Today, Senior Brother Dao Chen had brought her back, and they had all been too scared to come out…

Before they could cry for help, Xiang Haikui shouted: “Step back!”

They didn’t react in time, so Xiang Haikui had to move quickly, striking in the direction of the sand scorpions.

Sword energy howled forth, whipping up waves of sand, flipping over six man-high sand scorpions!

The two little monks gaped in astonishment—just a few breaths later, and they would have lost their lives!

“What are you standing there for? Step back!” Xiang Haikui raised her sword and charged toward the scorpions.

The little monks no longer hesitated and quickly ran.

As they ran, they looked back at Xiang Haikui with gratitude.

Senior Brother indeed had discerning eyes. How could the Second Young Lady of the Xiang family be a demon? She was a female bodhisattva.

By now, Bai Xingxian and Lu Xiqiao had also rushed over. The three of them against six sixth-rank sand scorpions wasn’t difficult, but it was strenuous.

It took a full half-hour to kill them all.

“Tonight might not be peaceful,” Xiang Haikui looked at the scorpion corpses. “Sand monsters rarely come toward the Buddha Cave.”

“They’re trying to deplete your spiritual energy through this method, so you’ll be at a disadvantage in tomorrow’s battle,” Lu Xiqiao had seen this sort of thing many times and patted his chest. “Sister Kui, just rest well tonight. I’ll keep watch.”

Bai Xingxian nodded: “I’ll keep watch with Young Master Lu.”

Xiang Haikui thought for a moment.

Guarding like this wouldn’t work. There were monks from the Buddha Cave who were still out. If they happened to return today, they might encounter danger on the way.

She jumped back onto the roof of the Buddha Cave, her expression darkening. She chose a random direction and shouted: “Listen up! If you lack education, go home and study more. You don’t even understand the mechanism of the Twelve Divine Swords, yet you dare to come out and mess around!”

“Let your sister tell you, this tactic of yours is useless. My Tian Kuang doesn’t consume spiritual energy; it uses wild intent. If you have the ability, make me cower. If not, don’t come here to be cannon fodder!”

After speaking, she sat cross-legged on the cave roof and said to Lu Xiqiao and Bai Xingxian: “You two go back. With trash like this, I can take on their whole nest alone.”

“That’s arrogant,” Lu Xiqiao thought, giving her full marks for this show of bravado.

Bai Xingxian pondered for a moment, then pulled Lu Xiqiao away: “This might help increase her wild intent. We shouldn’t interfere.”

They brought her the sword case, then returned to stay inside the cave.

Xiang Haikui sat alone on the high platform, feeling the cold wind.

Her words were indeed arrogant.

But Tian Kuang hadn’t generated much wild intent.

These Upper Realm people, no matter how powerful, were only avatars in the lower realm.

Usually, the physical bodies they possessed wouldn’t exceed eighth-rank cultivation, because eighth-rank cultivators were difficult to possess.

They were only superior to mortals in terms of perspective.

That pervert was a seventh-rank demon cultivator, two ranks higher than herself.

But her fifth rank was extraordinary, built up by the boss with premium spiritual pills, medicinal baths, plus qi transfers.

He had Upper Realm treasures.

She had Tian Kuang.

He had a broad perspective.

So did she.

Though she didn’t know her master’s true identity, even a five-layered sword formation casually taught by her master could astound the Grand Elder of the Qingtian Sword Sect, who was of the eighth rank.

Her master’s level was probably far superior even to the Three Sword Lords of the current era.

Moreover, during combat training, the sparring partners the boss found for her came from all walks of life, with diverse styles.

Take the flood dragon transformation lesson, for example.

To familiarize her with a flood dragon’s combat methods, under her master’s guidance, the boss had specifically taken her fishing for a flood dragon.

Thinking back now, she remembered it vividly.

That day, the boss brought her to a cliff.

Looking down, she couldn’t see the bottom. Black mist curled around, like an abyss.

The boss had Little Bai spit out a white jade fishing rod. Standing at the edge of the cliff, he smiled and said, “In this Dragon Abyss of Punishment, a demonic flood dragon is imprisoned. It shares the same bloodline as the flood dragon on your Tian Kuang Sword. After I fish it up, you will observe its combat with me. Pay close attention to how its horns, teeth, claws, and tail coordinate during battle…”

She rubbed her hands together like a fly, extremely excited.

Finally, she just needed to observe, not engage personally.

Just as she was about to speak, the boss swung the fishing rod, and the fishing line suddenly split into four strands, each binding one of her wrists and ankles.

With another swing of the rod, she was thrown off the cliff.

Accompanied by the howling wind, the boss’s hearty laughter echoed in her ears: “Sorry, I forgot to bring bait. You’ll have to do.”

That was her first bungee jump in life. Her body flew forward while her soul chased behind, all while not forgetting to pay respects to his ancestors for eighteen generations.

When she fell into the black mist below, she stopped between the eyes of the sleeping black flood dragon.

Faced with this enormous creature, she was so frightened her heart nearly stopped.

The boss transmitted: “Draw your sword.”

She trembled, not daring to.

The boss then continued to release the line, sending her toward the demonic flood dragon’s mouth.

She had no choice but to open the sword case and release Tian Kuang.

The sleeping demonic flood dragon instantly awoke. Because the human girl between its eyes was so tiny, its dark green eyeballs slowly became cross-eyed.

After a long stare between the human and the dragon, the flood dragon suddenly opened its bloody maw.

Xiang Haikui only felt the threads on her wrists and ankles sharply retract, pulling her up dozens of zhang by the boss.

The demonic flood dragon roared in anger and dragged its chain, its enormous body undulating as it pursued.

Xiang Haikui, pulled by the fishing line, swung like on a swing, wobbling back and forth in the gorge for an entire night.

The swinging seemed chaotic, but that demonic flood dragon, using its horns, teeth, claws, and tail in combination, still couldn’t catch her.

Instead, she thoroughly studied it.

This was how she had been trained and grown.

Although it was merely eighty days, what she had heard, seen, and learned might surpass what some cultivators couldn’t achieve in eight hundred years.

Just as she had admonished herself when leaving the mountain: a group of kings carrying a bronze player like her, with nothing to repay them, she absolutely could not shame these kingly experts!

Thinking of this, she tightly pressed her lips together and clenched her small fists, giving herself some strength.

However, speak of the devil, and he appears—she heard footsteps leaving the Buddha Cave and leaping onto the roof.

Xiang Haikui’s teeth ached. It was the boss again.

“Miss Xiang.”

Yin Changli stopped when he was about ten feet from her.

Seeing no resistance from her, he continued forward.

Xiang Haikui took a deep breath, turned her head with a fake smile: “Haha, Senior, is there something you need?”

Yin Changli walked to her side, glanced at the pile of sand scorpion corpses not far ahead, and said with concern: “It’s not that I don’t trust your strength, but your opponent is treacherous and cunning…”

Xiang Haikui waved her hand: “It’s fine.”

Yin Changli shifted his gaze to the sword case beside her hand. The case was open, with Tian Kuang lying quietly inside.

He suggested: “I heard Little Bai say that Tian Kuang likes to increase wild intent through me. Why not try again?”

Xiang Haikui hastily refused: “That’s not necessary! Ever since I cut your original body, when I curse you now, it doesn’t react at all.”

If it worked, she would use it.

Who would want to waste such a good power bank?

Yin Changli didn’t fully understand Tian Kuang’s mechanism and frowned: “Then let’s try other methods? I’m willing to cooperate in any way.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Tian Kuang suddenly flew out of the case.

With its tip downward, it stood upright in the sword case.

Glowing brightly.

Yin Changli’s eyes brightened: “It seems to be working. Miss Xiang, have you understood what it wants?”

What does it want? It wants me to sleep with you! Xiang Haikui was speechless. Just as she was about to forcibly push Tian Kuang back into the case, it abruptly swept out a beam of sword energy.

The sword energy was very subtle, merely cutting through the tie on Yin Changli’s monk robe.

The slanted-collar robe thus fell open, revealing his chest and waistline.

Yin Changli was somewhat stunned.

Xiang Haikui nearly spat blood, hurriedly trying to grab it.

But Tian Kuang, with its tip raised, kept moving from Xiang Haikui toward Yin Changli, emitting humming vibrations.

As if saying: Are you stupid? What are you standing there for when he’s offering himself?

Take him!

Take him head-on!

Even though he possesses a body, you can have spiritual intercourse. It’ll be greatly beneficial!

“Get lost!”

Xiang Haikui finally understood clearly—the one who most wanted her to die miserably wasn’t those people from the Upper Realm, but this trash Tian Kuang!