On the fourteenth day of the Three Lands Grand Assembly, the last night before the end, Xue Yu faced off against Jiu Feng.

Speaking of matches with Xue Yu, one had to mention Lu Chen and Cang Ju.

They had fought Xue Yu one after another. The first half of their battles went fine, but then the spirit barriers broke, and all the recording stones shattered. People outside couldn’t see clearly what exactly happened inside. But when Lu Chen came down from the stage, his steps were unsteady, stumbling about like a deflated ball. Cang Ju was slightly better, but his complexion was also extremely ugly, showing a cold and gloomy expression to everyone he saw.

When asked, neither would say what kind of inhuman torture they’d endured inside. Their mouths were sealed so tightly that even crowbars couldn’t pry them open.

This made Jiu Feng extremely curious.

Heart-scratching, liver-clawing curious.

“Are you two serious?” Ji Tingxi had just fought hard against Sui Jinyu during the day and had been beaten black and blue. Now, looking at the leisurely Jiu Feng and Su You, even lifting the corner of his mouth was strenuous: “It’s only been two days – has the demon clan’s recovery speed reached such a terrifying degree?”

“The demon clan’s recovery ability is inherently powerful, and these two have top-tier constitutions. Envy aside, that’s the reality. Look at Song Heng – I heard he left Penglai Island overnight for treatment. His attendants said he bled all night, his arm broken in half, nearly losing the entire limb.” Shen Jingshi said.

The demon clan’s physical strength was well-known. Relatively speaking, humans and ancient immortals went deeper in mental techniques and skills – each had their strengths and weaknesses.

It’s just that on occasions like the Three Lands Grand Assembly, the demon clan’s strength held some advantage.

Jiu Feng’s nails had grown back, the pallor on her face replaced by ruddiness. She couldn’t stay quiet at all – as soon as her body improved a bit, she clamored about beating Cang Ju and Lu Chen until they howled for mercy on the ground.

Today, with her injuries healed, she felt fighting those two was boring and unchallenging. She wanted to seriously fight Xue Yu.

With each sentence she spoke, Feng Shangyu’s arms around her tightened imperceptibly. By the time she finished her last word, she was firmly embedded in Feng Shangyu’s chest. He couldn’t bear it anymore and spoke: “Stay still. Can’t you learn?”

Jiu Feng made a shushing gesture at him and truly stopped talking, but when Shen Jingshi glanced at her profile, her eyes were full of eager, burning intent.

Facts proved that the word “behave” had nothing to do with Chu Yaoxiang.

Su You had recovered almost completely. After enduring the intense pain brought by the Blood Burning Curse, his muscles and bones regrew, and his flesh healed. Whether it was because he had fully revealed his true form, the oppressive aura around him was heavier. Sitting in the elegant room, he had a tall, upright presence like pine or cypress.

Xue Yu would go on stage later, so she didn’t sit. She leaned against the edge of his chair, casually stirring the red ginger threads in her cup with a bamboo skewer. Her high ponytail hung down to his shoulder like flowing water draped over jagged mountain stones.

“Don’t you two still have to fight once to compete for first and second place?” Yin Ling looked at the two of them and asked.

Su You pulled over the final day’s schedule and looked at it twice: “There is one match, at noon.”

“So are you going to fight or not?” Yin Ling swept her gaze over the two who looked as harmonious as a painting, raising her eyebrows skeptically: “Never mind anything else, Su You, would you be willing to use any of those harmful moves of yours on your Highness?”

Su You turned his cup and smiled slightly, slowly pressing down on Xue Yu’s knuckles, saying clearly: “Now that you mention it, that’s indeed true.”

He looked at Xue Yu and asked: “Does Your Highness want to fight?”

Xue Yu’s gaze flickered slightly. She abandoned the small wooden skewer in her cup and looked at Su You, as if seriously evaluating both sides’ combat power from all angles. After a moment, her thin lips moved slightly: “We can try.”

Su You hooked her little finger and nodded: “Good.”

Before long, Lu Qin pushed the door open from outside, looking at Jiu Feng and Xue Yu: “Ladies, it’s your turn. Everyone’s waiting.”

Jiu Feng went onto the combat stage with great enthusiasm. After the spirit barrier closed behind them and they each announced their names, she said to Xue Yu: “What move did you use against Lu Chen and Cang Ju earlier? The aftereffects seemed quite strong.”

At least it left Cang Ju speechless for an entire day.

“It’s a formation I newly comprehended. I can let you try it later.” Xue Yu replied seriously.

“Alright then, let’s fight first.” Jiu Feng pulled at the corner of her mouth, spread her five fingers toward the sky, and with a crackling sound, drew out hundreds of trembling lightning bolts.

The entire spirit barrier immediately became overcast with dark clouds and flickering arcs of light. When strength reached a certain level, there were no fancy tricks. She carried the full power of thunder and lightning, throwing a punch toward Xue Yu’s position.

The explosive sound was earth-shattering. The spirit barrier could barely withstand it and showed signs of cracking.

Xue Yu didn’t move. The incoming fist print stopped inches from her eyes, almost touching her nose tip, but couldn’t advance another step. As she lowered her eyelashes, a formation like a bloody maw from the abyss bit and devoured the terrifying fist print into its body, then shattered and disappeared.

This was a Spirit Array Master – while others made grand displays with thunderous methods, she stood lightly, moved her fingers slightly, blinked once, and decided victory in the invisible.

The contrast between them couldn’t be greater.

“I don’t believe it.” Jiu Feng stared at where the fist print disappeared, smiled defiantly through gritted teeth, her fighting spirit soaring: “Again.”

Jiu Feng’s combat power was indeed excellent. She was more alert than Sui Jinyu. To avoid having her moves ultimately backfire through formations, her landing positions were often in unexpected places, moving swiftly to avoid thread after thread. Finally, she could reach out and sever them all at once.

Just when Jiu Feng thought Xue Yu would rely on a Spirit Array Master’s advantages to maneuver around her, unimaginably, she abandoned this fighting style. Her fair hands pushed forward horizontally, bombarding ahead.

“Hm?” Jiu Feng’s eyes brightened. While fighting with full force, she said hesitantly: “A Spirit Array Master actively approaching a demon clan member for physical combat?”

In the world’s eyes, no matter how powerful a Spirit Array Master was, they had a well-known weakness.

Once approached closely, the battle could be declared over.

Jiu Feng momentarily couldn’t figure out Xue Yu’s thinking.

But soon, her expression became serious because she discovered it wasn’t like that at all.

Xue Yu’s hands were very white, translucent in the light, appearing delicate and small. Whether forming palms or fists, her momentum wasn’t particularly outstanding, but her strength wasn’t just for show.

The imagined collapse at first touch didn’t occur.

The two fought from the ground of the spirit barrier to mid-air, then from mid-air crashed toward the obstructive spirit barrier, fighting evenly matched and intensely.

Outside the spirit barrier, Ji Tingxi couldn’t believe it. He looked left and right, meeting Lu Qin’s equally shocked gaze: “What’s the situation? Isn’t Xue Yu a Spirit Array Master?”

“Our Highness isn’t an ordinary Spirit Array Master.” Chao Hua straightened his chest with honor and pride, declaring loudly: “From childhood to now, Your Highness has suffered countless injuries large and small, never using healing medicine even once. For a long time, she comprehended formations during the day and practiced mental techniques at night. When needed, she would even use lightning to temper her body.”

The radiance on her body was never generated for nothing – it was something refined through millions of grinding and forging sessions. To match the responsibilities and status she bore, she paid prices ordinary people couldn’t imagine.

“A Spirit Array Master using lightning to temper the body.” Ji Tingxi felt his scalp go numb: “I’ve never even heard of such a thing.”

He paused, completely convinced: “If she’s not first, who is?”

In mid-air, Xue Yu pressed a finger against Jiu Feng’s sweeping palm wind, her body retreating dozens of steps in an instant, narrowly avoiding dozens of fist prints coming through the air.

She wasn’t weak in any aspect – this was a fact. But using her weaknesses to directly confront Jiu Feng’s strengths, she had no such plan and was indeed lacking in this area.

After consecutively dodging five moves, Xue Yu was the first to stop, the long wind stirring her scattered hair and hem with hunting sounds. Ten long threads extended from her fingertips, weaving bright, snowy light throughout the entire spirit barrier. Her fingertips tensed, pulling the threads taut, her voice clear and cold: “My turn.”

As her words fell, the formation activated.

Compared to previous formations in earlier battles, this one appeared especially simple and ordinary – a small arched bridge spanning between them, covered with spiritual light and mist like a corner of fairyland. No matter how you looked at it horizontally or vertically, you couldn’t see any danger.

Cang Ju and Lu Chen, seeing this bridge, immediately recalled some unforgettable memories.

The day before, they had fallen on this bridge, bound by the Spirit Array Master’s array threads and carried down from the stage.

What outsiders saw as a bridge appeared to Jiu Feng as a bottomless black hole. She had already entered the formation and could only walk forward.

This black hole wouldn’t actively attack. As Jiu Feng walked inside, going deeper and deeper, her mind gradually fell into instinctive chaos.

She walked the most secret path of her inner heart over and over again.

All sentient beings in the world, whether human or demon, no matter how comfortable and proud their lives, always have worries and sorrows.

In such a tranquil environment, those emotions usually suppressed at the bottom of one’s heart were deliberately extracted like silk threads, magnified thousandfold, and placed before one’s eyes, forcing confrontation.

It was an extremely torturous process.

Chu Yaoxiang had lived smoothly all her life, truly encountering no setbacks. Everything she wanted, she had; everything she wanted to do, she could do freely. So when this formation was applied to her, it became a different kind of effect.

She saw time whistling past, youth no longer. In hundreds of bronze mirrors before her, she gradually aged – wrinkles appeared at her eye corners, flesh on her cheeks sagged, skin loosened, nails lost their luster, reaching out tremblingly like ten uneven chicken claws.

Chu Yaoxiang watched coldly. At a certain moment, unable to bear it as if her eyes were stabbed.

She struck out, directly pushing forward. Over a hundred mirrors shattered with crisp crackling sounds that continued in her ears for a long time.

She continued walking forward, soon stopping.

She saw Feng Shangyu – many Feng Shangyus.

Few people knew how she and Feng Shangyu first met. When mentioned, people always said they were childhood sweethearts, companions from youth.

But that wasn’t true.

The Jiu Feng clan had only Chu Yaoxiang as a direct descendant. From childhood, she wanted for nothing, but the Feng family had more than just Feng Shangyu as a young master. Because the two clans had generational marriage contracts, after Jiu Feng came of age, her grandfather personally brought her to the Feng family to choose her future dao companion.

The meaning was obvious – it all depended on her preference.

Jiu Feng’s first choice wasn’t Feng Shangyu.

The divergence began there. She remained the lofty Jiu Feng successor, while Feng Shangyu, though not chosen by Jiu Feng, was excellent himself. Even without the Jiu Feng clan’s assistance, he quickly made a name for himself.

Just as he had said in anger when upset about Tao Zhi, the Feng family couldn’t compare to the Jiu Feng family, but they weren’t far behind. He, Feng Shangyu, had many other choices.

Jiu Feng initially watched with raised eyebrows.

She watched him find a woman he truly liked, a woman opposite to Jiu Feng – gentle, well-behaved, caring, with her whole heart hanging on Feng Shangyu. Such tenderness successfully captured the heart of this noble young master from a great family. The two naturally came together, pledged their love, and then married.

Jiu Feng’s lips pulled into a straight, flat line, arms crossed over her chest, letting out two cold laughs as if finding it completely uninteresting, yet her feet never stepped forward.

“Listen.” She bent her fingers, knocking on the reformed mirror surface and this rugged path in the darkness: “Enough, know when to stop.”

The mirror images continued changing scene by scene – wedding chamber candles, Feng Shangyu in red robes, smiling as he lifted the bride’s veil. The two gazed deeply at each other in the candlelight, then their lips touched.

In that instant, Jiu Feng’s scalp exploded.

When she tore through the path beneath her feet and emerged into sudden daylight, she could already guess she would be bound.

This formation was sinister. Simply put, if you remained unmoved and walked forward, you’d emerge unharmed in less than a cup of tea’s time. But if you couldn’t help but strike out, it would trigger different consequences.

Lu Chen had walked most of the way that day. When he stopped on the bridge, his body stiffened for an instant – just that instant was enough to be bound and thrown down.

Cang Ju was even worse.

He’d barely gotten on, not even halfway, lasting less time than Lu Chen before following in his footsteps.

After Jiu Feng stepped on the threads and went out of bounds, being judged as having lost by the referees, she walked silently toward the edge of the viewing platform.

Feng Shangyu pulled her over to check. Seeing she wasn’t injured this time, just with torn clothing corners and some bruises on her fists, he slowly exhaled in relief, his tightly furrowed brow relaxing.

Jiu Feng stared at him for a while with an ugly expression, then asked: “Do you like gentle ones who don’t cause trouble?”

Though she asked, the words on her face, in Chen Longzhi’s terms, meant “if you dare say yes, you’re finished – you won’t leave this viewing platform.”

“Don’t understand.” Feng Shangyu pushed some medicinal oil into his palm, rubbing the injuries on her fists, speaking straightforwardly: “Ask something normal that people can understand.”

He lowered his head, his lips a deep, rich red color. Jiu Feng watched and suddenly reached out to wipe his lips, using such force as if she had some blood feud with him.

“Chu Yaoxiang, hiss, are you crazy?”

Feng Shangyu winced and tilted his head back, catching both her hands, lifting his eyes: “What kind I like – don’t you have eyes to see?”

Yin Ling couldn’t listen anymore, feeling she was too full with nothing to do to care about the young couple’s flirting. She pulled Shan Shu and Shen Jingshi away.

Su You stood to one side, behind him the boiling excitement of ten thousand people. He lowered his eyes, sensing something as he moved his index finger, tapping on the edge of the viewing platform seats.

Late at night, torrential rain fell on Penglai Island. Sea winds raged and waves roared with earth-shaking fury, mixing with the wind’s howling to create long, lingering echoes.

Xue Yu spoke with Shan Shu about some matters, then went to find Chao Nian. When she returned, the storm was at its peak. A lamp was lit in the room, its wick swaying and twisting like a spiritual snake’s forked tongue.

Su You sat quietly cross-legged on soft cushions, facing a small table, his profile’s angles revealing startling sharpness.

After over ten days, Xue Yu had quickly adapted to his appearance.

“What are you writing?” She sat beside him. He reached out to embrace her, and she naturally leaned over, grabbing those papers to look. She couldn’t help raising her eyes: “Draft documents for taking over the mortal realm’s demon clans?”

“So soon?”

“Mm.” Su You used his lips to rub against her heated ear, breathing softly: “Tomorrow, the Three Lands Grand Assembly ends.”

“I just heard Lu Qin say you had Sui Jinyu go to the judges to forfeit tomorrow’s match.” Xue Yu felt a bit ticklish from his rubbing and slowly covered her ear with her hand: “Why forfeit when everything was fine?”

Su You stopped his movements. Xue Yu’s back was against the small table, sitting face to face with him. In this position, he could see the confusion in her eyes.

She truly didn’t understand.

“Today’s formation – those with unsteady dao nature and fears in their hearts can’t walk out.” He controlled her slender waist curve, lowering his eyes to peck at her lip corners: “Right?”

“Not necessarily.” Xue Yu spoke vaguely: “Just control yourself and don’t be affected.”

“Your Highness thinks too highly of me.”

Golden pupils lingered before her eyes. Su You met her gaze, his voice carrying suppressed storm winds: “I can’t compare.”

“That bridge – I could never cross it in my lifetime.”