The tree at the eastern end of Changning Village.

Back then, the villagers of Changning Village called it the sacred tree. They offered incense and tied ribbons to this old tree, with simple villagers constantly coming to worship and pray.

Su Qingxun remembered it. The more perilous the fighting within the Xueluo Sect became, the more precious those happy childhood memories seemed. Only as time passed, those years became sealed away, rarely appearing even in dreams.

She had thought she had already forgotten.

But the old tree’s appearance was like opening the floodgates of memory. People and events from that time came rushing forth. Su Qingxun’s eyes sparkled with tears, but before she could speak, the old tree’s next words struck her like lightning.

“The Su Zhuyi of Gujian Sect is the little monk from back then.”

“She’s the one who caused the villagers to turn into corpses.”

“She’s a demonic cultivator.”

“Perhaps she’s the one who brought the Xueluo Sect, causing Changning Village’s destruction.”

The word “perhaps” was spoken extremely softly, but Su Qingxun’s mind buzzed with noise. She never would have imagined that Su Zhuyi was the little monk from back then.

After growing up, she rarely thought about the past anymore.

But after becoming a cultivator, especially a demonic cultivator, her perspective on problems was no longer as naive as before. Looking back, the villagers’ corpse transformation had been strange, and the Xueluo Sect’s appearance in such a remote place as Changning Village was even stranger…

So it was all her doing!

If not for her, she would still be Changning Village’s beloved little princess.

Even if she ultimately lived an ordinary life, bearing and raising children, it would be thousands of times happier than being captured by the demonic sect. She had suffered endless hardships in the Xueluo Sect; her hands were stained with blood, and now her body was full of insects. All of this, everything, was her fault…

It was all her!

Intense resentment erupted from her weakened body like a geyser, continuously providing power to the evil tree.

It provided Su Qingxun with spiritual energy to ease her injuries, while she provided it with resentment. For now, this was a win-win situation.

“I want revenge.” Su Qingxun’s eyes were blood-red, gleaming with an eerie light.

“I want the whole world to know that the successor of Gujian Sect’s Luoxue Peak is an evil cultivator skilled in raising corpses.”

“That Qin Jianglan she’s with now—there’s no human aura about him. Tell me, is he still human?”

“But how can I do it? How can I expose her true face?”

Though Su Qingxun had a vengeful heart and wanted nothing more than to tear Su Zhuyi to pieces, she couldn’t do it now. Her body was full of insects, she was still the mother curse, and the red thread still guided her, driving her to chase after Miaoshe Shiqi. She couldn’t even control her own body—how could revenge be easy?

Thinking of this, despair welled up in her heart.

Despair and rage intertwined, making the evil tree sigh with satisfaction.

“I also want to avenge my master. So we must cooperate.”

“You help me, I help you.”

Su Qingxun agreed without hesitation: “Good!”

…

Qin Jianglan carried Miaoshe Shiqi with one hand while Su Zhuyi stood at his side.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman—a perfect pair.

Their flying sword beneath them was swift as wind, crossing thousands of mountains and rivers in the blink of an eye. The Quicksand River was now close at hand.

Outside the Quicksand River was a barrier seal that had been jointly activated by several sect leaders. Su Zhuyi had thought breaking the formation would take some effort, but they flew directly through it.

After entering, they dismounted from the flying sword and walked deeper for a while before reaching that familiar red maple forest again.

“Why do I feel like these maple trees have grown much larger than last time?”

It was as if every tree had become a spirit.

She looked up—several maple trees had grown so tall she couldn’t see their tops, as if their peaks had pierced into the clouds.

When wind blew, the maple leaves still spun and flew past, but those leaves didn’t fall freely and scatter. In the air, they followed traceable patterns, making Su Zhuyi feel somewhat dizzy.

“There’s a formation.” A cold hand covered her eyes. “These trees are unusual. Some have probably gained spiritual intelligence and can use leaves to create formations.”

Qin Jianglan gently covered Su Zhuyi’s eyes. There were many ways to prevent her from looking around, but clearly, he preferred this method.

Her eyelashes were very long. When she blinked, it was like gently brushing his palm with a feather fan. His palm didn’t itch, but his heart did.

Su Zhuyi was very cooperative with him.

She would blink hard to tease him, and wasn’t he being deliberate as well?

“Ahem.” Miaoshe Shiqi had fainted for a while in the air and now woke up, squinting and coughing. “Why don’t you two get moving?”

The deeper your feelings for her, the more you fear me. Thinking this, Miaoshe Shiqi was becoming quite fearless.

“These maple forests have changed so dramatically—has something happened inside?”

Su Zhuyi felt something was amiss and had a bad premonition.

The hand covering her eyes moved down, slowly sliding to her lips. After his palm rubbed twice, he let go. Su Zhuyi, this veteran of love affairs, excitedly licked her lips. This Qin Jianglan was quite expressive—could it be that Miaoshe Shiqi’s appearance had ignited a fire within him?

No matter what, it was better than being lifeless.

“I sense surging vitality,” Qin Jianglan said.

These red maple trees were growing so luxuriantly, naturally full of life force.

“And despairing death energy.” His brows furrowed, that trace of worry fleeting.

Life and death alternating…

Some had died, others had just been born.

Su Zhuyi immediately had a bad suspicion.

Could it be that…

Her heart clenched, and she leaped forward with a touch of her toes, flying toward the depths where they had discovered the Jianmu Tree.

Qin Jianglan immediately followed, and as for Miaoshe Shiqi, he was naturally carried undignifiedly in his hand.

“You’re a man, yet you let your woman lead the way?”

Seeing Su Zhuyi voluntarily charging ahead while Qin Jianglan properly followed behind her, Miaoshe Shiqi lowered his voice.

He was quite relaxed now. In any case, Qin Jianglan didn’t dare kill him, so he could at least provoke him a bit.

Miaoshe Shiqi wanted to know if this person had any flaws in his mental state.

Of course, aside from that woman.

Qin Jianglan didn’t even glance at him.

A maple leaf fell from the tree.

That maple leaf seemed to have eyes, floating lightly down to land on Miaoshe Shiqi’s face, perfectly covering his mouth. His hands and feet couldn’t move, so he could only speak a few words, and even then, he gasped for breath and occasionally coughed up blood.

The maple leaf seemed pressed against his mouth by some force. He blew hard several times, but the leaf didn’t budge.

Miaoshe Shiqi: “…”

He’d better keep quiet for now.

The deeper they went, the better the red maple trees in the forest grew.

The leaves were as red as fire clouds in the sky, one mass after another, brilliant and dazzling. When the red leaves fell, they were no longer as light as before. Those fallen leaves were like crystal-clear jade, yet harder than steel.

Every fallen leaf was like a flying blade.

As Su Zhuyi flew forward, those spinning flying blades came at her in waves, seeking to completely block her path and cut her to pieces.

Su Zhuyi drew her sword.

She was no longer the same person she had been.

Her sword was no longer the same.

Sword Ancestor Qingxia—one sword breaks ten thousand techniques.

Those leaf blades meant nothing to her. She simply carved out a path with her sword.

The maple leaves were shattered into pieces, exploding like red crystals and piling up on both sides, like decorations deliberately arranged along the roadside.

Those crystal fragments were all roughly the same size. It was hard to imagine that this was the power of a single sword strike.

Miaoshe Shiqi was already stunned.

He knew Qin Jianglan was strong, and he knew Su Zhuyi wasn’t weak either. But after not seeing her for such a short time, she had grown to this extent. No wonder Qin Jianglan followed behind without any urgency, because he was clear about Su Zhuyi’s strength.

If only he had bound her at any cost back then. Her potential was truly limitless.

Speaking of regret, it wasn’t really regrettable.

After all, he still controlled the love curse. Thinking this, Miaoshe Shiqi smiled slightly and fainted again. From beginning to end, neither Qin Jianglan nor Su Zhuyi had given him any pills. That he could endure this far was already quite good.

They had arrived…

Su Zhuyi sensed that strange formation fluctuation.

It was that barrier—the barrier that only those who wandered outside the Heavenly Dao could enter. She had arrived.

The Jianmu Tree was inside. After entering the barrier, she would be able to see the Jianmu Tree. Thinking this, Su Zhuyi’s mood became urgent. She seemed to feel the Xirang within her body stirring, her stomach seemingly gurgling. She quickly used her spiritual consciousness to look inward, but unfortunately still discovered nothing.

Upon entering the barrier, Su Zhuyi didn’t immediately continue inward.

She stood at the barrier’s edge and waited a moment, then saw Qin Jianglan cross through without any obstruction. However, the Miaoshe Shiqi in his hand was stuck at the barrier—unable to completely enter, yet not completely unable to enter either.

Had her rebirth caused some slight changes in Miaoshe Shiqi’s fate trajectory? But these changes weren’t obvious now, perhaps not enough to alter the overall situation? Was that why this was happening?

Su Zhuyi couldn’t figure it out, but Miaoshe Shiqi’s current condition was somewhat troublesome.

Miaoshe Shiqi was unconscious, but there was still a red dot flashing on his forehead, like someone had dotted cinnabar on his brow. That was his curse, insect. As long as Qin Jianglan made any sudden moves, the curse insect could instantly devour Miaoshe Shiqi’s primordial spirit. This was Miaoshe Shiqi’s method of threatening Qin Jianglan.

So he could faint with complete peace of mind.

“I’ll set up a sword formation nearby and leave him here,” Qin Jianglan said.

The sword formation required swords. He shook the flying sword in his hand, and countless pine needle-like sword energies shot out with swooshing sounds, forming several layers around Miaoshe Shiqi.

Then he raised his hand again, and red maple leaves fell like rain from the trees. His flying sword carved them into sword shapes, suspended above the sword formation.

Those small red swords were crystal clear and translucent, like little red dragons floating above Miaoshe Shiqi. They looked well-behaved and cute, but if anyone came to attack, they would surely unleash infinite power.

Having dealt with Miaoshe Shiqi, Qin Jianglan also entered the barrier. After crossing through, his brows locked together, and he fell silent.

Outside, life and death energies intersected.

Inside here, the death energy was dense.

Though the flowers, grass, and trees before them were full of vitality, the air carried a scent of decay.

That legendary Jianmu Tree had probably truly fallen.