That night, the full moon hung high.

Xue Yu glanced through various matters Yedu had handled recently, confirmed there were no oversights, then set down her brush. Her slender shoulders gradually relaxed.

Yedu was different from other places – countless demons and ghosts were imprisoned here. Some had truly done wrong, while others had been deliberately framed by outsiders. The bloody water in Yedu’s private dungeons could wash away several layers each day.

Before she took charge, Yedu’s prison had four to five hundred jailers from top to bottom, each one worthy of the phrase “treating human life as grass.”

The concept of superiority remained deeply rooted in the hearts of sacred land residents, ingrained and unchangeable in a day. She issued repeated orders and punished many for dereliction of duty. Combined with the Palace Guard Bureau taking over, this situation only improved slightly.

Xue Yu knew deeply that perhaps in a moment’s distraction, writing her name on a memorial could cause dozens of lives to be lost, among which might be two or three innocent souls entangled in false accusations and wrongful deaths.

Being in this position, she must bear this responsibility.

Xue Yu supported her forehead with her hand, remained silent for a moment, then picked up her brush to dip in ink, writing in a booklet she had retrieved from her spirit ring.

—In the 353rd year of Tianheng, the Judgment Platform opened. Song Heng, aged twenty, entered Yedu for careful cultivation.

Almost the moment the last character fell, Xue Yu seemed to part the layers of mist she had deliberately ignored. With a raised glance and furrowed brow, she inevitably recalled the smoke-like past events of a thousand years ago.

She didn’t disregard human life, yet felt unworthy of the four words “kind-hearted.” In her eyes, the Judgment Platform was merely a decoration. That she would bring Song Heng down was unexpected even to herself.

Song Heng was twenty then – gentle, refined, polite, and when he smiled, he was like gentle wind and fine rain, a gentleman as pure as jade.

Initially, Xue Yu showed him no special treatment, nor did he have thoughts of cultivation. It was only because time was urgent that she brought him on that one mission.

Song Heng was extremely well-mannered. Even when flustered and helping incorrectly, asking her for guidance while embarrassedly stroking his nose bridge, he still smiled. After spending time together, Xue Yu discovered this person had indescribable patience and kindness toward others.

He loved summer’s chattering cicadas, winter’s refreshing snow, and the bustling prosperity of the mortal world.

He could often sit on high city towers, accompanied by water-like night scenes, watching fireworks bloom one after another in the human world with Xue Yu.

Unlike Chao Nian’s careful observation of her expressions, and unlike Chao Hua’s complete boredom when accompanying her, when Xue Yu inadvertently looked back, she could occasionally see his eyes – warm, transparent, tolerant like water, with the words “human world” written within.

Xue Yu didn’t speak of it, but indeed, she liked such bright, pure things.

Song Heng was human, having once joined a cultivation sect. His talent was decent – relying on those third-rate techniques and secret manuals, he could achieve modest success. He could calmly infiltrate a prince’s mansion for assassination without mistakenly killing or harming any concubines or guards besides that prince.

Xue Yu cultivated him like she cultivated today’s Su You, except the former moved her with his breadth of spirit, while the latter moved her with wisdom and talent.

Xue Yu picked up her brush and wrote the second line.

—Entered the Flowing Current, ascended to cloud peaks, five hundred years of bitter cultivation. During mortal world turmoil, together broke beast tides and the Pagoda Case.

Song Heng didn’t have the top-level comprehension and talent of Xue Yu and Su You, but he had time, was diligent, and willing to research, and practiced the Human World Dao. This was a heaven-grade secret manual he and Xue Yu found in a great secret realm, seemingly tailor-made for him. The two complemented each other with surprisingly high compatibility.

After five hundred years, Song Heng completely washed away worldly dust, his gentlemanly bearing that made people feel like spring breezes became even stronger. After several major cases, those who had seen him act praised him to the skies, calling him divine.

Perhaps being praised for so long, or perhaps having truly gained the strength to move freely in the mortal world, Song Heng began busying himself with many matters. Yet every time he heard Xue Yu accepting high-star missions, he would still drop everything to rush to her side.

Even though he knew better than anyone that she didn’t need help at all.

He often looked at her and smiled, his brow and eyes filled with tenderness, his gaze like March winds and April rains in the human world.

Xue Yu dipped her brush in ink again and wrote the third line.

—Relations between sacred lands and the imperial court deteriorated. Demon clans in the world united as one, popular foundations shook, and mountains and rivers changed. Song Heng requested to jointly establish the Heavenly Palace. Approved.

These were the most unforgettable centuries. What Xue Yu most feared still happened unavoidably.

Qiu Tong’s stern court style passed through several generations of descendants, yet miraculously remained, with each Human Emperor stronger and more decisive than the last. The court experienced several blood purges, becoming as tight as an iron barrel. Those standing in the Golden Hall during daily court sessions were all genuine imperial power faction members.

Additionally, the court invited several respected elders with a considerable reputation in the cultivation world to establish academies.

Countless mortal students grew up, entered officialdom and court, serving the Human Emperor.

They began excluding and targeting sacred lands everywhere.

But how could those youngsters who grew up in mere centuries compare to the sacred lands’ tens of thousands of years of foundation?

The court no longer lets commoners request sacred land intervention. While they could handle small demons and monsters, what about great demons with deep demonic power who acted without restraint?

They were helpless and at a loss, yet still had to struggle on. As if fighting for dignity, they resolutely refused sacred land intervention. Thus, the people, deeply troubled, became displaced and cried out in suffering.

Simultaneously, demon clans in the mortal world couldn’t endure the sacred lands’ and the court’s years of contempt and hunting. They united as one, forming a rope, leading wild beasts and using demonic arts to charge into human villages, confronting the court’s elite soldiers, wanting to gain equal status and respect with other beings through war and bloodshed.

Daily clashes meant that countless humans and demons died each day.

The mortal world became chaotic like boiling porridge.

Song Heng practically lived in the human world. Xue Yu also often concealed her identity to leave Yedu and help, expelling demon beasts and settling refugees. But this wasn’t a long-term solution at all.

She had foreseen this long ago.

The court would be dissatisfied with the sacred lands’ special status, everywhere superior to them. When ambition grew to a certain degree, with just a few wise Human Emperors, they could turn plans into action. During this period, turmoil and sacrifice were inevitable.

Spirits, ghosts, and demons, because they possessed supernatural powers, were often unable to distinguish right from wrong in youth, acting only on instinct and thus rejected by the world. For millions of years they suffered oppression and humiliation, constantly becoming objects that could be trampled at will. This resentment grew in every demon’s heart – there would always be times when they couldn’t hold back and erupted.

Besides this, the Demon Capital was hiding behind the scenes, watching the show. Whenever demon clan squad leaders encountered troublesome figures like Song Heng, Xue Yu, and Shan Shu, who secretly came to help in the human world, several difficult characters would emerge from the Demon Capital.

Various forces were intricately complex, like an untangleable mess, rolling like a snowball, growing larger and more chaotic.

Xue Yu had no solution. Or rather, no one could think of a solution.

This seemed like an unsolvable dead end.

One day, when Xue Yu and Song Heng silently walked through a blood-washed village, Song Heng clenched his fists, his eyes red as if he’d made some decision as he looked at Xue Yu. His voice choked as he tentatively called her “Ah Yu” for the first time.

Having been companions for centuries, Song Heng understood Xue Yu and knew she too was heartbroken by the current situation.

Sometimes, those who said nothing often suffered more.

He said, “Ah Yu, this can’t continue.”

Xue Yu looked at those eyes that were always gentle, unchanged from centuries ago. Without dwelling on his impropriety, she asked: “Do you have a solution?”

“Yes.” Song Heng met her gaze and said firmly: “I want to establish a new force called the Heavenly Palace.”

“We won’t recruit noble families, won’t rely on sacred lands or courts. Those we bring in will all be people disgusted by the chaotic world who want to contribute. They’ll come from all corners, unable to form a family power. I’ll strictly discipline them. They won’t be lofty and disdainful like sacred lands, nor will they, having learned from this experience, imitate the court’s wanton slaughter of demon clans.”

“The Heavenly Palace won’t take orders from sacred lands or courts. It will listen to people’s appeals and handle matters beneficial to the people. Because its foundation is shallow with no conflicting interests, the Human Emperor, eager to solve current difficulties, won’t refuse.” After all, it was better than giving sacred lands another chance to shine.

Xue Yu quietly looked at him, parted her lips, and said: “In the long run, it will become the next sacred land. This method treats symptoms, not the root.”

Song Heng smiled bitterly: “Ah Yu, looking at the current situation, can I still manage the root or consider the future?”

Xue Yu looked back at the village swept clean behind them and the hundreds of small demons who died violently on the neighboring hilltop. She took a deep breath and said nothing.

Song Heng finally said, “Ah Yu, I need you to walk this path with me.”

For the people, for these mountains and rivers, for the beliefs in their hearts.

But for Xue Yu, this meant abandoning her identity as Yedu’s Crown Princess. She could only go alone, not representing the sacred land, for this matter to succeed.

Xue Yu had a long conversation with her father through the night.

By dawn, the Lord of Yedu pointed to his graying temples and smiled bitterly: “Father originally hoped you could ascend early and replace father’s position, letting father enjoy freedom for a few years. Now it seems this burden will be carried for who knows how long.”

After speaking, he grew serious: “This way, even if you and Song Heng don’t succeed, you must succeed. This journey will be full of difficulties – have you decided?”

No one knew what they discussed that night. They only knew that when dawn broke, the Lord of Yedu slammed his table in fury, then issued an edict that shocked the world – he temporarily stripped Xue Yu of her Crown Princess position, confined her to the palace pending orders, commanding her to reflect on her errors.

The world watched with bated breath, rumors flying.

Soon, they got their answer – Yedu Crown Princess Xue Yu left Yedu and established the Heavenly Palace with Song Heng, whom she had saved from the Judgment Platform and who had now achieved great success.

This fellow had abducted Yedu’s future Empress.

No wonder the Lord of Yedu was so furious.

For a time, some envied Song Heng while others called him dishonorable. In any case, riding this wave, the Heavenly Palace indeed initially grew and quickly accomplished significant achievements.

Others didn’t know, but Xue Yu was clear in her heart – she would return to Yedu sooner or later. Therefore, she deliberately didn’t interfere in Heavenly Palace affairs, only contributed effort, often accepting Heavenly Book missions to run to the human world.

Song Heng was elevated and established as the Heavenly Emperor.

On the coronation day, Song Heng rarely drank wine – a fine brew once treasured by his former sect.

That night, he was in high spirits with a beauty at his side. Looking at Xue Yu’s eyes, he felt drunk without drinking.

He carefully embraced Xue Yu from behind, his lips falling on her ear, again and again, lowering his voice in an almost caressing plea: “Ah Yu.”

Ah Yu, Ah Yu.

One call after another, as if wanting to wear down her heart until it softened. Looking at the nine coiling dragon patterns on his sleeves, he seemed to finally have the confidence to voice his feelings: “Let’s be together, alright?”

Xue Yu didn’t understand love or desire. She judged people entirely by intuition, dividing everyone she encountered into two categories: disliked and not disliked.

She didn’t dislike Song Heng.

Under the lamplight, she looked at Song Heng’s weariness that couldn’t be hidden despite recent toil, remembering how this person walked step by step from shackles to today, remembering the mortal world fireworks in his eyes. She said: “Alright.”

Thinking of this, Xue Yu’s eyes showed clear coldness as she wrote the final line.

—After a thousand years together, Song Heng led heavenly soldiers into Yedu, suppressed Ghost City. Sixty thousand demons and ghosts in Baizhong Mountain faced hell on earth, never to emerge again. He used this deed as proof, making an example to deter mortal world demons.

Only then did Xue Yu completely understand.

That was his ideal, his ambition.

The human world in his eyes.

Xue Yu’s gaze fixed on these four lines for a long time. Suddenly, with a “snap,” she closed the booklet. After a moment, she opened it again for another look.

It must be said.

Having this memorable, unforgettable first experience, when saving Su You, her emotions were more detached, her expression colder.

She still couldn’t help having thoughts of cherishing talent and cultivation, but this time learned to be guarded.

For example, even though she let him enter the Flowing Current and join the Palace Guard Bureau, the Jade Green Pill that could control his life and death at any time remained in his body.

Xue Yu thought of the past two months since her return.

A faint suspicion formed in her heart.

She stood up, spread open the booklet, carefully read it once more, then frowned.

This intricate, difficult-to-balance game, even played again, still left one clueless and unable to act.

Sacred lands, the court, the Demon Capital – each side presented difficulties.

The urgent matter was her cultivation that had regressed over a thousand years – she needed to catch up quickly.

At the same time, in Jinyu Tower’s third-floor private room.

Curtains hung down as Xue Rong lay prone on a daybed while a maid behind him applied medicine. As if knowing his mood was poor, her movements were gentle beyond gentle, yet still provoked him to heavily pound his fist. She trembled and immediately knelt to beg forgiveness.

“Enough.” A brown-clothed man beside waved his hand: “Give me the medicine, you may withdraw.”

The maid felt reprieved and fled the room like escaping.

“Ah Rong, I’ve told you many times to keep your composure.”

“How can I keep composure?” Xue Rong struggled to turn toward the visitor, gritting his teeth: “From father’s death until now, how many years has it been? Today, Xue Yu gave one order, and I became like this. If this continues, what will I use to compete with her?”

“Look at my condition, look.”

The man’s gaze swept over his bruised, barely recognizable legs and buttocks, frowning. After a pause, he said: “I ask you, why did you have to practice at the Sun-Moon Wheel of all places?”

The implication was: knowing your position is weak, why rush toward the gun barrel? Isn’t this foolish?

Xue Rong closed his eyes and said hoarsely, “If my father were still here, where couldn’t I go?”

The brown-clothed man couldn’t help shaking his head, thinking: But Prince Su is gone.

If his father were still here, how could Prince Su’s lineage have fallen to this state? Why would they need to painstakingly protect this ignorant, troublemaking sole heir?

“Yuan Li, tell me, why did Xue Yu suddenly move against me?” After forcefully pressing his fist, Xue Rong calmed down and said, “She and I have always minded our own business. Even with her rigid personality and stubborn principles, she often turned a blind eye to me for her father’s sake. Why this sudden behavior change, insisting on punishing me?”

“Does she know our plan?”

Yuan Li carefully placed the medicine on the table: “I came specifically to discuss this matter with you.”

“Ah Rong, don’t concern yourself with human world affairs recently. Stay at Jinyu Tower to recover properly – don’t go anywhere.”

“Xue Yu controls the Palace Guard Bureau and Imperial Guard Bureau. If she wants to move against you, your life would be in danger anytime outside Yedu.”

But Xue Rong didn’t take these words seriously.

Relying on the Lord of Yedu’s favor, he was fearless, completely disbelieving that Xue Yu truly dared do anything to him.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been just a hundred rod strikes.

Xue Rong’s heart was set on his great cause. Before his injuries healed, his heart had already flown to the mortal world. Therefore, in just ten days, he secretly selected several attendants and left Yedu under the cover of night.

Who knew that trouble would find them right after leaving Yedu?

A group of masked men from who knows where blocked their carriage in a desolate mountain area with a sparse population. Under the cover of darkness, they shouted: “Chase quickly! It’s that group ahead who stole the young master’s Dragon Shears.”

The carriage stumbled and swayed. Xue Rong lifted the curtain, saw the formation ahead, and his expression changed. He glared at his attendant beside him, who understood and immediately raised both hands: “You’ve truly mistaken us. My young master just left home – we don’t know any young master or have any Dragon Shears.”

But that group paid no attention and charged straight forward.

Xue Rong immediately became furious. He slapped the table and emerged, about to act, when he was swept aside by a whirlwind-like figure. His vision blurred, and before he could react, he received a palm strike.

He originally thought these were just mountain bandits and, wanting to avoid trouble and keep things quiet, had actively spoken up. But upon fighting, he discovered it was completely different.

That group wasn’t looking for anything – their purpose was murder alone.

The person fighting him was terrifyingly powerful. One palm strike seemed to break several of his ribs as he vomited blood with a “wa” sound.

This battle ended quickly.

After Xue Rong fought the black-clothed person for several moves, he began throwing spirit treasures. Various lights flashed, but his opponent laughed coldly – a sound like icy mockery.

Xue Rong soon couldn’t hold on and fainted. A petite figure in a black cloak quickly approached, looking down at Xue Rong condescendingly, then extended five delicate fingers, gripping his throat from a distance. The subtle movement of blood vessels made her eyes narrow with pleasure as her red lips moved slightly: “Just like this, and you dare covet Her Highness’s position?”

Just as she was about to exert force, golden light suddenly burst from Xue Rong’s body.

Chao Hua reacted swiftly, retreating rapidly while beckoning to the side. Those black shadows melted into the night like falling leaves, becoming untraceable.

Half an hour later, the spirit talisman at Xue Yu’s waist began burning.

“Your Highness.” Chao Hua licked her lips and said quickly: “The matter is handled, but there was a slight complication at the end. Xue Rong had a protective talisman personally drawn by the Master. Before death, the talisman transported him back to Yedu.”

After speaking, she narrowed her eyes and continued: “Before finishing him, this subject shattered his spirit veins and divine palace. Even if the Master personally intervenes, he can only repair half at most. For the rest of his life, he’ll accomplish nothing. Your Highness need not worry about him anymore.”

Xue Yu nodded and asked: “Did you find the items?”

“Found them – ironclad evidence. This subject will bring them back to Yedu immediately.”

“Shattering someone’s spirit veins and divine palace inevitably causes backlash injuries. Chao Hua, after returning to Yedu, recover properly – don’t take it lightly.” Xue Yu said gently.

Chao Hua smiled immediately, her brow and eyes curving. She sweetly hummed in agreement and sniffled. Just as she was about to speak, she heard her younger brother’s flustered report through the spirit talisman: “Your Highness, His Majesty summons you to Jinyu Tower.”

“There’s quite a commotion there – don’t know what happened. I only heard the Master flew into a great rage. All of Yedu’s famous physicians were summoned, and people inside are kneeling everywhere.”

Xue Yu calmly set down her brush, cleaned her hands, and lightly nodded: “Understood. Let’s go.”

As the spirit talisman burned out, the sweetness on Chao Hua’s face disappeared like magic. She stamped her feet and called to those around: “Go, return to Yedu.”

Chao Nian.

When she returned, she would send him to chop wood in the back mountains.