Having said her piece, Xiang Haikui turned and walked away.

What did the racial conflicts of this world have to do with her? What connection did the ideals and aspirations of these great powers have to her life?

She could barely take care of herself, with a blade of soul-scraping punishment constantly hanging over her head, yet they kept babbling about making her contemplate human civilization and the origin of species?

Getting Tian Kuang to maximum cultivation level and reaching the Dao Merger herself were her real priorities.

Others merged with the Dao to ascend to heaven, but look at the heaven here—was ascending just a faster way to die?

When the time came, she would slash through the void and return to Earth to live out her old age, letting all these pieces of trash go play with eggs!

After she dropped those words, Yin Changli seemed fine, but Han Qi appeared as if his acupoint had been struck, taking a long moment before calling out to her: “Miss.”

Xiang Haikui halted.

Han Qi smiled with a sigh: “In such a matter of principle and importance, is Miss truly so casual? Even as an outsider, Miss, you are still human…”

Xiang Haikui abruptly turned her head and snapped: “Do you even see me as human? Before expecting me to agree with you, shouldn’t you first treat me like a person?”

The sharpness in her eyes startled Han Qi, and his smile gradually froze on his face.

Yin Changli also laughed once, laughing at Han Qi.

Xiang Haikui then looked up at the feather-cloaked figure: “If you’re cold, why stand so high? Are you brain-dead?”

Yin Changli’s smile also gradually disappeared.

During her previous training sessions, she would often curse at him to build up her wildness, and he’d grown accustomed to it.

Now it was different.

His hibernation period had been merely the length of a nap, yet this reckless young woman had already been honed into something like a sharp sword.

Yin Changli didn’t argue with her, nor did he fly down from the rooftop. He merely said: “Miss Xiang may have some misunderstanding.”

Xiang Haikui frowned.

“Brother Han is recruiting you because he believes you can be useful to him, while I… do not need that.” Yin Changli made his position clear, showing no intention to compete with Han Qi.

Just as the words fell, Yin Changli switched to a secret voice transmission: “Don’t misunderstand. If I competed, he would be more convinced he could use you to control me, and would be even less likely to let you go.”

Xiang Haikui responded with an “Oh.”

“Though I could also protect you, I remain a fugitive who cannot come to light. My ship is a pirate vessel with no way back.”

Yin Changli continued, “If you want to stay out of this, Han Qi’s suggestion is worth considering. I know Han Qi; he does have principles. If he later realizes he was wrong, he will let you go, and then you’ll be truly free.”

Xiang Haikui nodded.

Yin Changli quietly looked at her: “Han Qi was right about one thing: your cultivation level has been forcibly elevated, but you lack the experience and maturity to match it.”

Xiang Haikui asked: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll be persuaded by him and turn against you?”

He didn’t answer, only curved his lips slightly.

Xiang Haikui understood the meaning of that smile: even Han Qi couldn’t deal with him, so what difference would adding her make?

She also understood that he wasn’t playing mind games with Han Qi; he genuinely found it amusing that Han Qi thought he could use her as a weapon against him.

Han Qi must be desperate, like a cornered dog.

Xiang Haikui reminded him: “Senior Yin, there’s something I didn’t tell you earlier.”

Yin Changli gestured for her to continue.

Xiang Haikui: “The reason Senior Han has his eye on me is because he believes the key to breaking the curse was that you developed genuine feelings for me when you lost your memory.”

Yin Changli smiled: “Didn’t I once teach you that a person who rarely lies is most convincing when they do lie?”

He had indeed said that. So it was aimed at Han Qi, Xiang Haikui realized: “But…”

She paused, “I also felt that when you lost your memory, you seemed to have developed feelings for me.”

Yin Changli slightly furrowed his brow: “Miss should be most aware that I was merely a patient before.”

After speaking, Xiang Haikui immediately turned and continued walking. She had only reminded him out of gratitude for his kindness; she certainly didn’t want to see that scrutinizing gaze of his, filled with suspicion about whether she was trying to throw herself at him.

Xiang Haikui headed straight for the small Divine Tree tower.

Jin Ling, the City Lord, was full of fighting spirit. He had summoned high-level experts and was still battling fiercely with Lu Zhentu.

After fighting for so long, they were still a tremendous distance from the small Divine Tree.

Xiang Haikui transformed into a small horned dragon and directly bored a hole in the tower, entering inside.

The spiral staircase had been destroyed. Xiang Haikui simply flew down with her sword in hand.

When her divine sense could perceive objects, she discovered Meng Nanting standing at the prison door, but Xiang Tianqing was nowhere to be seen inside the cell.

Meng Nanting was currently looking up toward the sky. He saw Xiang Haikui and suddenly widened his eyes.

Without a word, Xiang Haikui gripped Tian Kuang’s hilt with both hands and, using gravity, cleaved down toward his head.

Meng Nanting seemed extremely surprised. He raised an arm to block: “Sister Kui, it’s me, Lu Xiqiao, not Meng Nanting!”

As his arm blocked, it managed to withstand Tian Kuang’s sword energy.

He looked at his arm with some disbelief.

“What act are you putting on now?” Xiang Haikui landed before him, Tian Kuang pressed against his shoulder.

“It’s true!” Lu Xiqiao raised both hands in surrender. “After I consumed my older brother, Meng Nanting suddenly appeared and tried to control me. I was weak then and was trapped by him. He had been attacking the protective formations on my body for a long time. Just now, he suddenly stopped, and I woke up in a daze, regaining control of my body.”

“Who are you trying to fool?” Xiang Haikui pressed the blade into his neck, drawing a deep line of blood that made him cry out in pain.

Earlier, Lu Xiqiao had just ascended to the seventh rank. After consuming Lu Xigu, the good and evil fruits merged into one, and Lu Xiqiao’s cultivation had been steadily growing, visibly so, already reaching the ninth rank.

Even as they spoke, Xiang Haikui could feel his power increasing, which was quite abnormal.

Who wouldn’t covet such a physical vessel? How could Meng Nanting, who had schemed for years, voluntarily give it up?

After giving it up, he would never succeed in soul possession again.

“If you’re Lu Xiqiao, then where is Meng Nanting?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Lu Xiqiao shook his head.

“Is he hiding in your consciousness sea?” she scrutinized him warily.

“I don’t know, but I am truly myself.” Lu Xiqiao was almost crying with anxiety. “If you don’t believe me, just cut me. If I fight back, I’m a dog!”

Xiang Haikui truly had trouble distinguishing. This person did seem very much like Lu Xiqiao.

She extended her divine sense to examine the surroundings and found no power fluctuations anywhere.

Meng Nanting and his group seemed to have retreated completely.

Could it be because they sensed Yin Changli’s arrival?

That didn’t seem right.

Que Chi had indeed been poisoned, but for a Mountain Sea Zhuyan, that poison would at most paralyze his body temporarily.

By now, after nearly a full night, he should have recovered.

And Yin Changli had just awakened from hibernation, with his cultivation seemingly only at forty percent recovered.

Que Chi should have the strength to fight him, and Que Chi even wanted to consume him. Why would he flee?

Xiang Haikui’s gaze remained wary as she looked at Lu Xiqiao. She pointed her sword at his neck and took out a spirit lock from her storage ring, binding him securely.

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Come up with me.” Xiang Haikui thought that Yin Changli and Han Qi should be able to tell if this was Lu Xiqiao.

“Alright.” Lu Xiqiao suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, Sister Kui, what about Brother Bai…”

Xiang Haikui interrupted: “His uncle will take care of him; we don’t need to worry.”

Lu Xiqiao asked again: “Are you here to cut down the tree? I heard them say that my tree can only be used…”

“No, I’m just here to rescue you.” Xiang Haikui didn’t dare relax even slightly. “If you are Lu Xiqiao.”

He fell silent.

Then, in a very weak, small voice, he said: “Sister Kui, thank you, really thank you.”

Previously, Xiang Haikui had saved him many times, but he had never thanked her like this before.

His brother had tried to eat him, and his father had stood by indifferently.

His entire life had been a lie; two hundred years lived like a joke.

Since waking up, he had thought about all this without feeling particularly sad.

Only in this moment did he seem to slowly come back to life.

…

“You’re not going to make an offer?”

After Xiang Haikui left, Han Qi walked forward about a dozen steps and stood at a suitable distance, neither too far nor too close, looking up directly at Yin Changli.

“Have you grown forgetful with age?” Yin Changli raised his eyebrows with a smile. “Do I need to repeat myself?”

Han Qi stood with his hands behind his back, raising only one eyebrow, his expression quite interesting: “You won’t even compete with me? This is very strange, Brother Changli. Could it be you haven’t realized yet?”

In his original plan, he only intended for Yin Changli to develop an imprinting mentality toward Xiang Tianqing.

Unexpectedly, after Yin Changli altered his fate, he developed genuine feelings.

Thinking further, Han Qi felt that perhaps he hadn’t won after all.

Yin Changli still seemed to be one step ahead.

Yet somehow, he found it amusing.

Yin Changli smiled: “It’s you who hasn’t realized. I haven’t been competing with you for a long time. All along, I’ve merely been trying to escape from your grasp alive.”

Flutteringly, Jin Ling began to snow again, falling on the feathers of his cloak, accumulating quickly.

Han Qi watched as he brushed it away.

He then took out an umbrella and opened it: “Brother Han, I did indeed enjoy competing with you in the past—more enjoyable than battling the heavens. I even thought that if we were of the same race, perhaps we might have become the best of friends.”

Han Qi revealed a trace of melancholy: “I also thought the same, but alas…”

“There’s nothing to regret,” Yin Changli put away his smile and said coldly. “Later, I discovered that we are fundamentally different people. In this life, even if we weren’t enemies, we could never be kindred spirits.”

Han Qi smiled faintly: “Oh?”

Yin Changli: “Your lofty words to Miss Xiang make it seem like everything you’ve done was for humanity, but you’re merely enjoying the sense of achievement. Do you have any compassion for humanity? You never have, right?”

Han Qi replied: “Regardless of my motivations, at least humanity is now thriving under my guidance. What wrong have I done?”

“Before, when resources were scarce, you still transcended tribulation and merged with the Dao. You may have kept your hands clean, but you’ve burdened all future cultivators with a legacy of bloodshed, and all of this just to achieve your sense of accomplishment.”

Yin Changli looked at him with disdain. “To be blunt, what Dao Ancestor? You’re just a selfish, self-serving scumbag. Have you no shame, bewitching an inexperienced young girl?”

Han Qi showed no displeasure at all and pointed at him: “Brother Changli hasn’t cursed me so directly in a long time. You’re very dissatisfied with me now.”

Having spoken, the depths of his eyes also grew cold. “And what about you? Don’t you get tired of exhausting half your life supporting your Mountain Sea Race?”

“After you surrendered back then and fled back to your old troops, how did they treat you? Should I remind you once more?”

“They struck your name from the records. One person, one knife, exactly 8,600 cuts, until not a single scale remained, leaving you unable to manifest your Torch Dragon form. Yet you still toil for those savage, inferior species. Aren’t you just debasing yourself? To be blunt, what sage? You’re an incomprehensible fool.”

Yin Changli remained silent.

Han Qi sneered: “Yin Changli, as long as you don’t give up on releasing those warmongers like Qi Yin, we will have to fight to the end.”

Yin Changli immediately replied: “Since we’ve come to this point, why don’t we fight a fair battle? No more schemes or tricks. Let’s meet on the battlefield, shall we?”

“Oh,” Han Qi nodded as if suddenly enlightened. Snow had covered his head, making his face appear even fairer. “You’ve been provoking me for so long, actually wanting to keep me away from Miss Xiang, right?”

Yin Changli spoke contrary to his words: “If you truly believe she can defeat me, then surely she can defeat you as well.”

“I’ve already said, I seek only one defeat.” He brushed the snow from his shoulders, his gaze sharp. “Whether it’s you or her, Han Qi seeks only one defeat.”

“I know better than anyone how proud you are at your core. To spite me, you seek to dual-cultivate with her. Are you truly willing?” As Yin Changli spoke, he disappeared from the rooftop and appeared before him, holding the umbrella.

“You said earlier that you stand inside the gate while I stand outside, that I speak nonsense while ridiculing you…”

Han Qi stepped forward to meet him. The tense atmosphere between them was now very apparent. “Whether I’m willing doesn’t matter. What matters is that for the sake of fairness, I must enter the same gate as you.”