After Sui Jinyu left the stage, he received consolation from many people, with Jiu Feng’s words being the most heartbreaking: “You were given a chance to surrender but refused. Now look—everyone’s watching, you’ve really made a spectacle of yourself.”

“Stop looking for it.” At this moment, Shen Jingshi and Jiu Feng’s coordinated performance seemed rehearsed. He looked at Sui Jinyu’s bruised and quickly swelling mouth corner, patted his shoulder consolingly, and spoke with considerable sympathy: “When you were blasted off the platform, Sui Yu didn’t even finish settling accounts with Chen Longzhi. He turned around and immediately called Su You away. The two are discussing matters.”

“Gloating, are you?” Sui Jinyu hissed as he pressed his mouth corner, looking at Xue Yu stepping down from the platform, then unnaturally averted his eyes: “Chu Yaoxiang, don’t forget—you’ll also have to fight someone in the end.”

“As it happens, I’ve made small breakthroughs recently. Hey, when the time comes, seriously help me observe. After I finish fighting your brother, tell me what flaws that final move had so I can improve and adjust.” As Jiu Feng spoke, her expression became serious.

Sui Jinyu couldn’t bear it anymore. He pointed at his forehead with a full expression of “Are you crazy or am I crazy?”In your eyes, am I wearing eight large characters—’No Brain’ on the left and ‘Easy to Fool’ on the right?”

“You want my help fighting Nineteen? I won’t sit below laughing and cracking sunflower seeds—that would already be remembering past favors.”

Jiu Feng smiled. Feng Shangyu had just finished a match and was breathing slightly heavily. Seeing this scene, he reached out to rub her heated ears from all the commotion. Jiu Feng habitually leaned against him, waving her finger boastfully: “Hasn’t everyone outside been curious about the fusion technique of the Jiu Feng and Wutong clans? This time I’ll let you all see it properly.”

With one sentence, Sui Jinyu, having just lost face, began worrying about Su You’s next two matches.

Around Penglai Island were scattered small islets like pebbles on a beach. The large ones were occupied, leaving only tiny mounds almost level with the sea surface, with space for only two or three people to stand.

Sui Yu and Su You found such an unnoticed place to talk.

“You haven’t absorbed the ancestral power.” Sui Yu gazed at the vast sea surface, speaking with certainty.

Speaking of it, Sui Yu was quite concerned. Now with such a huge Sui family, not one elder was around. Su You’s parents were in death seclusion, and the others were all outside competing for spiritual veins. Learning of Su You’s return, everyone was extremely happy, but couldn’t spare time.

If they left now, the dozen spiritual veins they’d fought for over the century would all be handed over to others. So with countless reminders and warnings, spiritual talismans lit up one after another like urgent summons, telling him not to drink, not to sleep, be reliable, and manage more affairs.

Sui Yu was extremely annoyed. He usually took an “out of sight, out of mind” approach to nephews like Sui Jinyu, who weren’t much younger than himself, but Su You was indeed different.

He felt guilty inside.

This child had been lost on his watch and suffered so much.

“Mm.” Su You said, “I just used my body as a storage container. This power isn’t urgent—absorbing it too quickly is just for temporary convenience with no real use.”

“I’ll see after entering the ancestral ground again.” His spine was straight, and when his face showed no smile, his pupils held heart-stopping, turbulent shadows: “There’s currently no perfect solution.”

“That you have such self-control is very rare.” Sui Yu nodded, paused, then said: “If I’m not mistaken, Chu Yaoxiang’s final killing move will be a perfectly coordinated fusion technique. The compatibility between the Jiu Feng and Wutong clans shouldn’t be underestimated. But given your current condition, using the Heaven-Imprisoning Cage might be risky.”

The Heaven-Imprisoning Cage was the Tian Ao clan’s signature masterpiece, possessing terrifying deterrent power that made people tremble even in ancient times—a truly deadly move.

But once the Heaven-Imprisoning Cage was released, it would instantly drain all demon power from the caster. Thus, even if Su You defeated Chu Yaoxiang, he absolutely couldn’t fight another person shortly after.

So the Heaven-Imprisoning Cage could only be saved for later use, while he couldn’t lose the earlier battle against Chu Yaoxiang.

“I had people investigate. This ranking sequence doesn’t follow normal logic at all.” Sui Yu frowned, kicking away broken stones blocking his path: “That Song Heng is waiting for you and Chu Yaoxiang to mutually wound each other.”

“It’s fine.” Su You said, “I have my limits.”

“You…” Sui Yu’s eyelid twitched: “Do what you can. You’re still young—no need to fight over momentary pride.”

“Sixth Uncle.” Su You looked at Sui Yu. He was tall and handsome, yet his words carried unquestionable calm determination: “The Heaven-Imprisoning Cage isn’t what the Tian Ao rely on to rank second among celestial beasts. For Tian Ao, it’s not glory but the resolve to die knowing death is certain. I’m competing, not seeking death. No need for that.”

His comforting words left Sui Yu speechless. After a long while, he waved his hand weakly and asked: “How long until your face and voice return to normal?”

Su You frowned deeply, stroking his taut eye corner lines, quite sensitively lowering his eyes: “Very ugly?”

“How could it be ugly?” Seeing he genuinely wanted to ask, Sui Yu’s eyes swept over him several times, his words becoming as reserved as possible: “Just that you always seem unhappy, not very pleased.”

It was more than that.

Every sentence he now spoke either sounded like a command or like judgment words with a blade at one’s throat. The laughing color that used to be in his peach blossom eyes had completely disappeared—not even traces could be found.

Sui Yu patted his shoulder, indicating he should relax for the battle, then left before long.

The weather was nice today with gentle sea breezes. Su You stood with lowered eyes for a long while, then suddenly looked up, quite irritably rolling up his sleeve edges, revealing a pale, thin wrist bone.

From arriving at Penglai Island until today, twelve days. His previous confident claim of “fine in a few days” hadn’t materialized.

No change in voice, no change in face, and the pupil color needed no consideration—it even showed signs of gradually deepening.

The Three Lands Grand Assembly would end soon, and he and Xue Yu would separate again—three years, five years, even ten years.

The Demon Capital had its affairs to manage. As for Xue Yu, when busy, thoughts of romance simply didn’t exist in her mind.

Their future…

Su You slowly lowered his sleeve, his tightly furrowed brow forming a straight line, then turned back toward the competition platform.

On the high viewing platform, Xue Yu was turning to speak with Lu Qin. Due to Qiu Tong’s four-and-a-half-star mission, the latter felt guilty when facing her, unconsciously lowering his momentum by half: “…No, I am indeed Kunlun’s head disciple, but I never interfered with Penglai Island’s competition system. Those are all arrangements the judges decided after consultation.”

“The Sui family is also making a fuss about this. Last night, Sui Yu nearly blew off my master’s roof.” Facing Xue Yu’s emotionless eyes, Lu Qin took breath after breath: “It’s like this—the lots were drawn together by everyone, right? Tens of thousands of eyes were watching, my master personally supervising. This definitely couldn’t be faked. Besides, the final days are all like this—if not third fighting fourth, then first fighting second. Strong clashing with strong will meet sooner or later.”

“This isn’t something normal people could arrange.” Xue Yu’s eyelashes lifted slightly, her words not particularly polite: “Looking at this chart, I can only see one line: ‘He either loses directly to Jiu Feng, then loses to Song Heng, or narrowly defeats Jiu Feng, then finally loses to Song Heng due to exhaustion.’ You have a brain, too. Looking at this thing, can you see the word ‘fair’?”

“No need to investigate.” Lu Chengze appeared from somewhere, slapping the papers in his hand onto Lu Qin’s chair with a “pa” sound, pulling his mouth corner into a mocking arc: “I found out.”

“What is this?” Lu Qin grabbed several sheets, scanning them with one glance.

In this silent atmosphere, Su You seemed oblivious as he walked to Xue Yu’s side, pinching her wrist bone and turning the water-rich jade bracelet on it twice, his voice lowered with magnetic quality: “Are you hurt?”

Xue Yu looked up at him. Her pupils seemed to still burn with two clusters of cold, angry flames, flashing with heart-moving water light. She pressed her lips, somewhat unsure how to speak: “I’m fine, but Sui Jinyu was injured and should have bled a little.”

“I went to see.” He said: “Nothing serious. Doesn’t even need healing pills.”

“You two should at least restrain yourselves.” Lu Chengze’s expression wasn’t good. He shook his head at the two: “The person about to fight two matches isn’t making any moves, yet we’re running around exhausted.”

“Speak.” Xue Yu’s gaze swept over the things in Lu Qin’s hands, then looked at Lu Chengze: “What is that? What’s going on?”

“Su You’s situation isn’t much—just small tricks to control rankings. His luck was bad, a bit unlucky.” Lu Chengze said, “You should have heard that this is a conventional method for past assemblies. When strength differences aren’t great, the top three are usually one from the Demon Capital, one from the Sacred Lands, and one from humans. This time is lively with high quality, but looking at rankings, except for Lu Chen, Jiang Xuejiao, and two or three others leading, there’s almost a gap in the middle for humans.”

“Song Heng’s first place has water in it and might not hold steady. Lu Chen’s third will drop, but Jiu Feng is stable in the top three. You and Cang Ju are in the same position, plus Su You and Sui Jinyu are behind. This way, demons take the majority, Sacred Lands second, and humans might not even get one spot in the top three.” Lu Chengze added: “Look at the list and you’ll find only one human in ranks twenty to forty.”

By this point, even if Xue Yu didn’t understand before, she understood now.

Since this was an assembly jointly hosted by three lands, judges were selected from respected elders from these three lands. Whether Demon Capital, Sacred Lands, or humans, no one wanted to see their side appear so weak. Therefore, with demons and Sacred Lands already securing one top-three position each, when a second person wanted to advance, it was acceptable to use small tricks to obstruct them, like with Su You.

That lot, even if he hadn’t drawn it, would have fallen to Sui Jinyu, Xue Yu, or Cang Ju.

If they didn’t win, it was expected and not shameful. If they won, it was well-deserved—their strength was there for everyone to see, and doing other tricks would be meaningless.

When humans were previously strong and Sacred Lands and demons were mixed, they had also “yielded” positions this way. Now taking them back, other judges agreeing was understandable.

“What about this paper?” Xue Yu pointed at what Lu Qin held, asking.

“About a month ago, from when Sacred Lands began moving against the court and cities, Kunlun became unsettled.”

Kunlun differed from other Sacred Lands—it was a sect that, besides original ancient immortal disciples, also recruited externally. Anyone with spiritual energy and wisdom could enter. Over time, those who once studied there stayed at Kunlun, becoming instructors and elders. But the older people became, the more they remembered their true roots.

The human race was their true root.

Kunlun was just a growth opportunity.

When these two collided, most would choose the former because that was what truly couldn’t be abandoned.

Lu Chengze continued: “The court sent many messages there. Many elders and mountain masters have already mentioned to the sect leader about returning to help the court temporarily. With Kunlun busy organizing this Three Lands Assembly and internal divisions, many details are overlooked.”

These details referred to those elders not only wanting to return personally but also secretly trying to take things with them.

“Wishful thinking.” Lu Qin sneered: “If they can take away a single spirit stone alive, I’ll write the character Lu upside down.”

Su You and Jiu Feng’s match was rendered extremely dramatic. The high platforms built around half the island had people occupying positions early. Before noon, they were already packed densely with people.

Compared to the relatively subtle and restrained but hard-to-understand fighting styles between humans and ancient immortals, many people preferred watching battles between demons, especially matches between top-tier demons. These carried blood-pumping excitement—bloody, raw, naked. Fighting to the end often showed flesh-to-flesh combat between true forms.

Over an hour before the match began, Su You went to check on Sui Jinyu, organizing words to comfort him in a way that seemed neither mocking nor amused. Returning to the second floor, he found Xue Yu missing.

“Where is she?” He grabbed the passing Shen Jingshi and asked.

“It’s like this. Originally, Your Highness sat there opening secret letters while My Highness sat elsewhere drinking tea. Then Feng Shangyu came past us dramatically, carrying a bunch of things. When asked, he said he was securing seats, otherwise there’d be nowhere to watch when it started.” Shen Jingshi pointed at the now-cleaned corner opposite, trying to recreate the scene: “After Feng Shangyu left, everything remained the same. But not long after, your Highness went ‘pa,’ put away the letters, had Chao Nian pile them in the room, and headed toward the viewing stands.”

“You’re something.” Shen Jingshi teasingly raised his eye corners: “In such a short time, you’ve gotten the Yedu Crown Princess to personally save you a seat?”

Speaking of it, Shen Jingshi was one of the few people with no reaction to Su You’s changed appearance. He truly didn’t care—even if the Heavenly King stood before him, he wouldn’t be frightened.

Su You pressed his eye corners, not commenting on this conclusion: “I’ll go find her.”

“Wait.” Shen Jingshi patted him: “About what you asked me last time, I found some clues.”

Su You had only asked Shen Jingshi one thing—how to restore his face and voice. For this, he’d given the penniless Shen Jingshi (who’d lost money betting on Shan Shu) a considerable sum of spirit stones, making Chao Nian howl and pound his chest with envy.

He suddenly looked over: “Speak.”

“First, let me say—our ancestors left many miscellaneous books. Most are reliable, but a small part involves guesswork that might not withstand scrutiny.” Seeing him nod, Shen Jingshi continued: “For that money, I didn’t even go to the gambling house, staying up all night reading books. I found a method.”

“You know the Liao Que? The one that was mutually wounded with Yedu and finally dropped from the top five Demon Capital aristocratic families. They’re famously beautiful, different from Jiu Feng’s aggressive magnificence. They have the most beautiful down feathers with blue water patterns flowing on them. When they spread their wings, it’s like river water slowly blown by the wind. Besides this, they excel at making face cream. Put one down feather in the cream, grind a special stone from their clan into powder, mix into paste, and apply to the face—this can heal frostbite from absorbing too much power.”

“Also, tears from Liao Que’s direct lineage, when crystallized into ice and hung in sachets suspended indoors for thirty days, can resolve pupil color changes.”

“But I think you’re fine this way. Want to change back?” Shen Jingshi observed: “When you take over the Demon Capital later, looking like this, just frown once and those stubborn old men definitely won’t dare say a second word.”

“And scare Xue Yu away.” Su You glanced at him coolly: “Should I then go to the imperial city to seek refuge with you? Live with you?”

“Don’t. What would you do in the imperial city, cry together with me?” Shen Jingshi looked up warily: “You promised that when Shan Shu encounters difficult matters, you’d help.”

“Your feelings for Shan Shu—”

Shen Jingshi quickly interrupted: “Stop. Don’t say it, don’t ask.”

“I have no such thoughts. She’s a Buddha Maiden, never touching romance in her entire life. I absolutely won’t pull her into the mortal world over some vague impulsive feelings, then watch her lose cultivation, status, and see all her pursuits destroyed.” He pushed open the small window by the stairs, wind blowing in from outside the giant tree. “I’d rather die than say I like her.”

Su You said nothing more, pressing Shen Jingshi’s shoulder: “Thank you.”

Shen Jingshi smiled: “I’ll go with you. Shan Shu is also helping Your Highness save seats.”

At noon, clouds rolled and wind eased with fierce sunlight.

When Su You found Xue Yu, Shan Shu, and Yin Ling were laughing. Several Sacred Land successors were too eye-catching—before the match began, most gazes were directed at them.

They sat at the edge of the front two rows. The angle was tricky with reasonably clear view, but too close. At this level of competition, the spiritual barrier would be broken, affecting innocent bystanders. This area would receive the first impact.

As he approached, those amazed, admiring gazes suddenly became wary and spectating.

“Su You, you really must fight well today. This is the seat our Xue Yu Highness paid to buy from someone.” Yin Ling patted the armrest: “Just now that person walked away dizzy like he’d received a mountain, clutching several spirit essence pieces, his eyes wandering all over.”

Xue Yu sat looking up at Su You. Due to raising her head, her pupils appeared round and moist. Su You saw a trace of rare nervousness in them.

He was slightly stunned, then smiled, casually ruffling her rippling hair: “Afraid I can’t win?”

“No.” Xue Yu shook her head: “In cultivation’s path, victory and defeat are common. Not beating Chu Yaoxiang isn’t shameful or frightening.”

“Then what is it?” Su You bent slightly to look into her eyes: “Learning from Feng Shangyu, coming early to grab seats?”

“I also learned from him, bringing many things.” She didn’t dodge or hide. Her brows, like distant mountain mist, slowly furrowed a little as she spread open the storage ring in her palm: “Healing medicine. When the match ends, come directly to me.”

Su You suddenly didn’t know how to describe his feelings. It was a sour, tingling, slight swelling that merged into his chest cavity, finally beating in his blood.

That girl, forever busy with common people and righteousness, when liking someone, would panic and rush into the imperial city regardless of rules, and would also sit properly in the front-most position to watch because of a small competition. She never used healing medicine, but she prepared so much for him.

Su You somewhat dazedly fluttered his long eyelashes. For a moment, he wanted to hide both the storage ring and her away to… the most secret place in this world.

He never knew liking and loving were such turbulent, dark emotions.

Before long, Jiu Feng searched the venue with puffy eyes from sleep, finding Feng Shangyu after a long search, then worried about her swollen eyelids for a long while.

Only when the judge gave the order did the two slowly circle down from the platform edge and leap onto the competition stage.

“No courtesies, no introductions. We’re old acquaintances.” Jiu Feng lightly raised her eyes, saying these words to the hesitant judge, then pressed her eyelids: “Let’s start directly.”

The judge said no more and immediately made a gesture.

Jiu Feng’s body arched slightly, her supple, graceful form pulling into a bowing-force arc. Like an arrow leaving the bow, she charged out riding the last syllable.

Su You dodged, backhanding a silver-gray crescent that heavily pushed forward toward where the afterimage fell. He then used the borrowed force to step onto the crescent’s back, soaring in mid-air for a circle before floating down gracefully.

First move—both stood firmly where the other had originally been, one spirited, one composed, as if they’d lightly greeted each other without even touching clothes corners.

But after this rather friendly first move, both seemed to simultaneously reach understanding, abandoning the word “probing.” They indeed didn’t disappoint the spectators who’d come hours early to secure seats, heavily tearing off that paper labeled “violence” and “barbarism.”

Fist to flesh, move to blood.

Sharp sword energy cut countless afterimages, startling ground-level hurricanes. Jiu Feng’s pair of jade-white palms pushed horizontally. Her fists weren’t large but very direct and fast. Blood trickled down her fingers in an obvious streak, winding to her wrists before being flung away by movement.

Blood made people wary, but in demon eyes, it was leaping excitement.

The dull sounds of flesh hitting flesh never stopped. Those inside fought with blazing intensity while those outside listened with boiling blood and trembling hearts.

Xue Yu kept frowning to track the afterimages until suddenly she acted, her sleeve forming an array on flat ground, creating a semicircular invisible barrier in front. She said, “The spiritual barrier broke.”

“How many moves was that?” As Xue Yu’s words fell, an explosive roar sounded from outside the barrier, flying backward at an unimaginable speed into Xue Yu’s array formation, blocking it outside and startling dust everywhere. Yin Ling spoke with some surprise: “This is the reinforced barrier.”

Judges acted one after another, rapidly constructing a new one, but reinforcement speed couldn’t match their destruction speed. Crackling explosion sounds never ceased.

One hundred moves, two hundred moves.

Fighting to the end, anyone with vision realized it.

Two of the world’s most dangerous monstrous beasts were already stepping on the edge of losing control and rage.

“Hahaha, good, satisfying.” Jiu Feng stopped moving, slowly wiping blood traces from her lips with her thumb, smearing the snow-white cheeks crimson, then slowly swallowing a mouthful of sweet liquid: “This broken platform can’t withstand such fighting. One move to decide victory?”

“Fine.” Su You’s golden pupils blazed with light so intense it was unimaginable. He methodically straightened his fractured finger bones without even frowning. The murderous ferocity stirred by blood and direct combat was all hidden in his slightly hoarse voice: “Quick decision.”

Jiu Feng said no more and spread her arms.

A huge wutong tree shadow gradually clarified in everyone’s vision. It seemed to descend across time and space, its shadow vast and soft like flowing clouds, carrying unfathomable might.

Such a massive thing that couldn’t possibly be contained simply took root within the spiritual barrier. As its outline became clearer, on the sky-covering crown, a huge and proud phoenix dragged nine feathers flowing with lava, standing alone like a high god, overlooking all living beings with a disdainful attitude.

Xue Yu’s expression gradually became grave. Yin Ling’s smile faded as she watched this scene in amazement: “Fusion technique. No wonder the Jiu Feng clan wants to marry into the Wutong clan. I don’t even need to fight Chu Yaoxiang—just taking this hit would result in serious injury.”

“Resolving this requires skill and time, but she’s blocked Su You’s retreat.” Xue Yu said, “Direct combat will be very difficult.”

Just as that giant nine phoenix suddenly opened its eyes, bringing towering fire clouds like a meteor diving toward the person on stage, Yin Ling suddenly slapped the edge of Xue Yu’s chair, her voice mixed with shock: “What is… that?”

Xue Yu stood up, brushing away dust flying toward her face.

At the end of everyone’s sight, that tall sword cultivator had completely changed.

First revealing claws capable of cutting everything, then a body scattering gold fragments like flowing light, tail feathers spreading root by root like hanging clouds. When his form expanded in rage, the spiritual barrier couldn’t contain it at all. People in the front rows even felt that those sharp wing down-feathers were close enough to easily cut their tendons and bones. Currently, every single one of them is hiding far away.

It wasn’t like what Xue Yu usually saw—him tearing up that bit of obedient docility and swallowing it, exposing his original killing nature.

Two primordial giant beasts roared simultaneously, bringing dazzling flowing light and flames deep into the clouds, fighting toward heaven. Boiling fresh blood poured down like torrential rain.

Yin Ling shrank her neck, feeling no need to be affected by these two lunatics fighting desperately, and pulled Shan Shu away, leaving only Xue Yu and Feng Shangyu in the front row.

After an unknown time, they fell back into the spiritual barrier. The judges looked at each other, about to speak, when they saw that the phoenix with white bones and cold beauty retreat half a step and slightly lower its head toward the Tian Ao.

This was a gesture of acknowledgment.

“Tian Ao, really Tian Ao!” Distant voices boiled with shocked uncertainty.

After the judges raised the victory marker, Xue Yu leaped up in one step, half-crouching to meet those two indifferent golden pupils of the Tian Ao.

After a long while, it closed its eyes, shrinking into a ball, curling up beside her clean white skirt.

Xue Yu held it, leaving the stage with a frosty expression.

Amid the field’s uproar, the miniature Tian Ao slowly opened its eyes, glancing toward a certain spot in the viewing stands, pausing on Song Heng’s cracked expression, and quite deliberately shaking its battle-worn, damaged wings.

A provocative gesture.

The next moment, a cool hand grasped that small wing, gathering it into an embrace.