When Seven Kill and Yélu Qi were each blocked by Snow Mountain disciples, Gong Yin didn’t hesitate to rush straight toward the bridal chamber.

Inside the bridal chamber, all the lamps had been extinguished. Only two glazed lanterns at the door and under the eaves swayed dimly, their red light flickering, making the emerald leaves appear rich and lustrous. Against the backdrop of scattered snow from the distant battle, this scene appeared rather eerie.

The bridal chamber was also very quiet, seemingly completely unaffected by the chaos outside.

Gong Yin didn’t enter through the door but went directly to the window, casually plucked a glazed lantern, and threw it into the bridal chamber.

“Bang.” Almost immediately, the glazed lantern was violently repelled, falling far into the lotus pond with a splash. But the curtains in the bridal chamber had already been ignited, and in the firelight appeared Xu Pingran sitting cross-legged on the bed, with Jixiang lying horizontally across her knees.

The daughter of this Meng Kingdom general was now in an extremely pitiful state. All her clothes had been removed, half her body was completely bloodless and transparent, while the other half showed a strange, ghastly blue-green color. Xu Pingran’s hand was pressed against her dantian, and with each passing moment, the transparent color diminished while the ghastly blue-green increased.

It was obvious that Xu Pingran was absorbing this young girl’s special constitutional essence and blood to cleanse her own true qi, while simultaneously transferring the toxins within her body into the girl. She had already accomplished more than half of her goal.

Xu Pingran seemed unaware of the disturbance at the window, and there was no joy of impending success on her face. Her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she wasn’t quite satisfied with the effectiveness of this particular “medicine.”

Having spent many years at Snow Mountain, Gong Yin understood the situation at a glance. From the deep blue color between Xu Pingran’s brows, it was clear that to maintain her appearance, she had concentrated the toxins at her brow center. Over time, this had already damaged her brain. Brain toxins were the most difficult to eliminate, and relying solely on Jixiang’s constitution – which only had natural talent but no real cultivation foundation – might not be sufficient to transfer all the toxins.

But if she couldn’t transfer all the toxins, and the remaining poison erupted in her brain, heaven knew what kind of destructive power this woman might unleash in her final moments.

Gong Yin hesitated no longer and flicked his finger, sending countless golden lights flashing.

Xu Pingran on the bed remained motionless, a cold smile seeming to appear at the corner of her lips.

The golden lights shot forth, seemingly about to reach Xu Pingran’s bedside, when suddenly with a “crack,” an ice screen rose up, blocking her bed.

Behind the ice screen, Xu Pingran’s smile became even more eerie and contemptuous, hazy and indistinct.

Since she dared to openly heal in the Meng mansion with great enemies gathered, how could she be unprepared? The wife of the Heavenly Gate Sect Master naturally possessed several treasures for defeating enemies and protecting herself.

This ice screen was actually a type of snow-armored insect from Snow Mountain. These insects normally had very small bodies, but when encountering enemies, their bodies would expand – the more fierce the enemy, the more they expanded. Their snow armor was hard and ice-smooth, impervious to swords and blades. When stimulated, they would also spray toxic liquid and poisonous gas from beneath their armor. They were Snow Mountain’s strongest defensive creatures.

Except for certain specialized weapons crafted by Heavenly Gate that could capture them, ordinary swords and blades, even divine weapons, could make no progress against them.

Gong Yin’s projected golden lights struck the snow-armored insect’s hard ice screen.

A soft “crack.”

There was no shattering, no sliding away, no triggering of toxic liquid or gas. The ice screen suddenly trembled violently and abruptly shrank into dust.

Xu Pingran’s eyebrows trembled slightly.

Although she was focused on her cultivation and couldn’t speak or be distracted, she knew everything that was happening.

What was going on?

Why couldn’t the snow-armored insect, which could block all weapons in the world, stop that thing?

What exactly were those glimmering golden lights?

Why did Gong Yin always manage to surprise her!

Though shocked and angry, she wasn’t overly tense. Her front wasn’t so easy to approach. As long as she was in cultivation, within a radius of ten feet was her force field. With true qi surging, even masters couldn’t move an inch, let alone countless weapons would be repelled. What about a few hidden weapons?

Moreover, she still had a body that could be considered invulnerable to blades and spears – equivalent to three layers of defense, unbreachable.

Golden light flashed.

It couldn’t illuminate the unextinguished cold smile at her lips.

However, the cold smile suddenly froze again.

Those fine golden lights didn’t attack her entire body as she had expected, nor did they even approach her. Instead, they treacherously made a sudden mid-air turn around the bed, and with swift whooshing sounds, they shot fiercely into Jixiang’s body!

Directly into Jixiang’s lower abdomen at the dantian!

Xu Pingran hadn’t stopped her cultivation for even a moment, and her attention was currently on Gong Yin. The golden lights shooting into Jixiang’s body happened in an instant, and her true power was vast and profound, intensely absorbing. She almost had no time to react before the golden lights followed the path of her absorption and entered her body directly!

She only felt a pain in her palm. Looking down in horror, she saw only a few faint blood spots remaining in her palm. In moments, even the blood spots disappeared, leaving her palm smooth as jade again.

Xu Pingran was horrified beyond measure.

Why was this happening!

Her true power was unbreachable, and her body was similarly jade-like and iron-boned – not something that random hidden weapons could penetrate!

More terrifyingly, those golden lights had truly entered her jade-like body and meridians without any obstruction, advancing like breaking bamboo, flowing upstream like countless small but copper-headed, iron-armed insects. Taking advantage of the surging qi flow in her body, they instantly scattered into her extraordinary meridians and eight channels!

Almost in an instant, her cultivation was obstructed, her true qi flowed backward, and the toxins she had just expelled nearly all flowed back!

“Ah!”

Xu Pingran suddenly sprang up and threw Jixiang’s body out with one hand.

With a thunderous sound, Jixiang’s rigid body smashed through the window and got stuck there. Almost immediately, her dantian area burst open, and a stream of black qi wafted out – the corpse poison that Xu Pingran had just transferred to her.

Xu Pingran began shrieking and retreating. Her hair flew wildly in rage, but this wasn’t the time for revenge. Those deadly little things were moving through her body, constantly trying to block her meridians, yet constantly being broken through by her true qi. She needed surging true qi to keep these malicious little things at bay, but uncontrolled true qi would make her condition even worse. Her body felt like it was being gnawed by thousands of ants, and the chaotic true qi carried the newly organized toxin flow throughout her body. She needed time to immediately expel Gong Yin’s hidden trap, or she would definitely become a cripple!

So she retreated without hesitation, having already forgotten her pride as the sect master’s wife. Nothing was more important than life.

Jixiang’s body was stuck in the window, and though it left a gap for entry, her clothes had been completely removed. Her naked, rigid body was emitting poison – any man would hesitate at this moment. The door was in another direction, and the time needed to circle around through the door would be enough for Xu Pingran to break through another wall and escape.

However, Gong Yin had never been an ordinary man.

When Jixiang’s naked corpse came flying over, he had already crossed the window, almost sliding past her body to enter the room. At the very last moment of entering, he didn’t forget to kick with his foot, flipping Jixiang’s corpse face-down. The ghastly blue-green poisonous gas it emitted all seeped into the soil, and the surrounding flowers and plants instantly withered.

When he entered, Xu Pingran had already crashed toward the back wall. Her complexion was very ugly, alternating between pale and blue-green, constantly shifting. Each time the blue-green qi flowed, her clothes would billow continuously, clearly showing that her true qi was rapidly circulating. Among the flying fabric, her snow-white arms were exposed, and suddenly, faint golden lights began emerging from her arms.

Seeing him enter, Xu Pingran showed no surprise or tension. She gave a cold, sinister laugh and said, “So you’re actually using Heavenly Gate golden needles! No wonder they could pass through the snow-armored insect and penetrate my true qi. But you’re using broken golden needles that can’t resist my abundant true qi at all. In just a moment, I’ll be able to force them all out!”

Her tone was already becoming relaxed. Those golden lights were actually Heavenly Gate golden needles – she really hadn’t thought of that at first. The golden needles used by Heavenly Gate to restrain inner disciples were made from Snow Mountain’s unique soft iron combined with secret medicinal formulas, making them extremely precious. Heavenly Gate’s golden needles could naturally break through Snow Mountain’s strange beasts and Heavenly Gate’s techniques. This golden needle must be the one that had originally bound Gong Yin, though somehow it had broken. And somehow, it had left Gong Yin’s body and been preserved by him until now.

So what if he was deep in scheming and had kept the golden needle fragments until now? Once broken, they wouldn’t have their original power. Although they entered her body more easily, they were too small to resist her currently surging true qi and couldn’t successfully block her meridians. She only needed a little time to expel most of the golden needle fragments.

Laughing, she raised her hand, and from beneath the bed boards, the bride suddenly flew toward Gong Yin.

Gong Yin couldn’t ignore this. He could only raise his hand to catch her – that bundle of red wrapping a young girl, her neck hanging limply, pearl tassels from her headdress dangling down, glittering and sparkling, covering her face.

Gong Yin caught her with one hand and was about to throw her out the window when he suddenly paused, instantly changing his action to strike her fiercely toward the ground!

The “bride” giggled, her voice thin and mysterious. One hand had somehow extended from her sleeve, striking toward Gong Yin’s chest. But Gong Yin reacted in time – before her striking hand could touch his chest, she was already being hurled downward.

At this moment, Xu Pingran across from Gong Yin looked up in horror, as if she had seen something. The sect master’s wife’s eyes flashed red, and in the icy, dark room, a faint red shadow vaguely swept past. In the shadow, Xu Pingran’s expression changed from surprise to joy. She actually stopped retreating and instead flashed forward, raising her hand like a claw to grab Gong Yin’s chest.

Gong Yin was currently throwing the “bride” down, and that “bride” was giggling sinisterly while turning to grab his hand. Behind him, though there was no movement or sound, he could already see the enormous danger in Xu Pingran’s eyes.

At this moment, he faced a strong enemy in front, was grabbed by the hand, and had a killer behind him – he couldn’t escape.

In this moment, instead of retreating, he advanced, dragging the “bride” toward Xu Pingran.

Just as he took a step, his back felt cold – like a pair of icy palms quietly pressing against it.

At this moment, he collided with Xu Pingran.

With a sharp shriek, that “bride” actually slipped out from between the two like a fish at the very moment of collision, like soft mud being squeezed from a tube, suddenly appearing above their heads. She left only a brilliantly embroidered ceremonial dress that instantly turned to red mist in their collision.

In the hazy red mist, there were still half a finger and several drops of blood, but they too were instantly torn apart, devoured, and ground to powder by the opposing true qi.

A thunderous crash.

It was the shock from their true power collision, then each hitting the walls, causing the entire solid house to tremble. A beam creaked and snapped, and dust from the ceiling fell on both their heads.

Neither of the two people with cleanliness obsessions moved.

Gong Yin leaned against the window. The window was gone now – there was a big hole there, revealing half of the red glazed lantern still hanging under the eaves, though its light seemed much dimmer.

Xu Pingran leaned against the opposite wall. The bed beneath her had broken in two. Her face was half white, half blue-green, but a triumphant smile suddenly bloomed at the corner of her lips.

In front of her, in that mass of dust and darkness, golden lights flickered and slowly fell to the ground.

“See,” Xu Pingran coughed lightly while saying triumphantly, “I told you those golden needle fragments could be forced out in an instant. What use was all your painstaking effort? That palm strike of yours actually helped me greatly!”

Gong Yin remained silent. Half his face was snow-white, half was reddened by the lamplight, showing no great abnormality, nor any look of regret.

But Xu Pingran felt his gaze was mocking – though he said nothing, he seemed to have grasped the entire situation. She hated this kind of look most, and it left the deepest impression. The last time she had seen such a look was when he drew his sword to challenge Heavenly Gate and rode alone down Snow Mountain. He had set up a trap causing her and Murong Zhen to conflict, ultimately allowing him to benefit and successfully descend the mountain. His departing gaze – indifferent yet controlling everything – was like a slap to her face, leaving her burning with pain to this day.

In the years that followed, she had held his family hostage yet couldn’t truly control him. She was dragged along, toyed with, played in the palm of his hand. She had truly thought that by grasping him, she could eventually grasp the world. Who knew he would casually hand the world to someone else, forcing her to descend Snow Mountain when her preparations were still insufficient. As soon as she turned around, he ascended Snow Mountain to rescue his family and the sect master, digging up her old nest.

Thinking carefully, in all her struggles with him, she had always been losing.

However, at this moment, she could be certain she hadn’t lost. That palm strike just now was definitely uncomfortable, not to mention Gong Yin had already been ambushed earlier. As for herself, borrowing that palm force, she had already expelled most of the golden needle fragments.

She smiled, straightened her skirt, and walked forward.

There was still some time – enough for her to kill him. She had tasted the pain of not eliminating the roots for a long time. This time, she absolutely wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Gong Yin calmly faced her and suddenly raised his hand, pulling down the glazed lantern from overhead and hurling it at her.

This action made Xu Pingran pause, then want to laugh – at the end of his rope? Not even enough strength left to strike with his palm?

However, her expression instantly changed.

The glazed lantern flashed with light, as if something inside was trying to break out. Those twisting, changing rays made her almost want to close her eyes, and suddenly there was a cold wind before her.

There was someone in the glazed lantern!

Inside this clear and transparent glazed lantern, there was actually someone!

For a moment, Xu Pingran was too shocked, and briefly thought of certain legends. However, this moment didn’t allow for thinking. She sidestepped to dodge, and the glazed lantern fell to the ground and shattered. Hazy lights flashed again and again, revealing a human form.

After throwing the glazed lantern, Gong Yin didn’t linger and directly leaped through the window.

At this time, the others had been startled by the loud noise. Jing Hengbo rushed over frantically and collided head-on with Gong Yin.

“Gong Yin!” Seeing him unharmed, Jing Hengbo’s highly raised heart immediately fell, nearly bringing her to tears – she had truly feared seeing him like before, a rigid body in the icy ruins.

“Are you alright, are you alright, are you alright?” She asked repeatedly, wanting to pull him over for a careful examination.

But Gong Yin said, “Be careful of the glazed lanterns.”

“What?” Before Jing Hengbo could react, Gong Yin was already saying urgently, “There’s another group of people, lurking in the mansion to strike. Their methods are more sophisticated than Xu Pingran’s. I’m going to check.”

After speaking, without waiting for Jing Hengbo’s response, he turned and had already swept away.

Jing Hengbo stood frozen in place, looking at his departing figure, then back at the battle behind her. Seven Kill had already dealt with that batch of Snow Mountain disciples and was rushing toward the bridal chamber with Yélu Qi. There were many people here, while in that direction, only Gong Yin was alone…

She instantly made her decision, shouting to those below: “Be careful of the glazed lanterns! Be careful of enemies – if you can’t win, just retreat. I’m going outside to pursue enemies!”

From below came an “Aiya” – Yi Qi’s voice, shouting loudly: “What glazed lanterns!”

Yélu Qi suddenly realized: “Those two Liuli tribe members who poisoned… they’ve been hiding in the lanterns all along!”

The young servant who had brought the congratulatory flowers had once carried a box past the main glazed lantern, and at that time, the two Liuli tribe members were hiding in the lantern, taking advantage of the swaying light to poison them.

Over there, Meng Hu staggered to his feet, shouting loudly: “Take down all the glazed lanterns, quickly, take down all the glazed lanterns!”

Yélu Qi looked back from mid-air, seeming to hesitate whether to follow Jing Hengbo. However, there was a thunderous crash from inside the house, and a white shadow shot out, shrieking like a wail in mid-air, appearing utterly mad.

Over there on the tree, Third Young Master suddenly looked up.

Yélu Xunru sat up abruptly, shouting loudly: “Something’s wrong!” He was about to shake Purple Micro Superior awake, but saw that the old fellow who had just been facing away from that direction had somehow already turned around and straightened up.

Yélu Xunru cursed “Old codger still hung up on his old flame!” while grabbing his sleeve: “Hey, hey, quickly look at what’s wrong with your old lover?”

Xu Pingran floated in mid-air, hair disheveled, blocking Seven Kill, Yélu Qi and the others, constantly laughing shrilly. Where was any trace of the former Heavenly Gate sect master’s wife’s cold and noble appearance? Anyone could see that her sanity seemed no longer quite normal.

The surviving Snow Mountain disciples below all forgot to attack, staring dumbfounded at Xu Pingran floating in mid-air, not understanding how she had been fine before, but after Gong Yin went in and came out, their mistress had gone mad.

Purple Micro Superior squinted his eyes, looked once, then again, and after a long while shook his head, sighing: “What a cunning boy.”

“What?” Yélu Xunru had been focused on the battle situation and didn’t feel Gong Yin had gained much advantage. In terms of strength, Xu Pingran was above everyone else – probably only Purple Micro Superior could restrain her.

“Those golden needle fragments were originally in Young Master Gong’s body, blocking his meridians. He forced them out bit by bit. Such a harmful thing, he actually had the patience to keep until today – clearly just for dealing with… Xu Pingran.” Purple Micro Superior said leisurely, “Xu Pingran thought too simply. How many years did this golden needle stay in Gong Yin’s body? Daily soaked in his blood poison – could it still be the original golden needle? Young Master Gong never intended for those golden needles to block her meridians. He only wanted to use golden needle fragments soaked in the toxins from his own body to instantly flow through Xu Pingran’s meridians. The faster Xu Pingran used her true power to expel the golden needles, the faster the toxins would flow. This kind of damage flowing through the entire body’s blood is something that can never be removed.”

Yélu Xunru sucked in a cold breath with a “hiss,” murmuring: “Scheming with premeditation, deep patience, able to endure waiting and strike ruthlessly when needed, with unparalleled timing. No wonder my honest younger brother lost to him.”

“Your honest younger brother, ho ho.” Purple Micro Superior pursed his lips, sarcastically repeating.

Yélu Xunru acted as if he hadn’t heard, kicking Purple Micro Superior: “So what if she’s poisoned? I see she’s gone even more mad. When people go crazy, they lose self-control and can cause greater harm. Hey, why are you still sitting there?”

Purple Micro Superior turned his head, silent for a long while, then said: “She’s surrounded by enemies tonight, just barely hanging on now. Don’t worry, your brother will be fine.”

“Even cornered dogs will jump over walls!” Yélu Xunru scolded.

Purple Micro Superior arranged his long hair and changed direction to sit, not intending to listen to Yélu Xunru’s nagging.

In this lifetime, he had countless reasons to strike at her – betrayal, the hatred of sect destruction. However, all these years, he’d rather sing fox songs everywhere than go to Snow Mountain. He’d rather use strange children’s songs to forget his grief and hatred again and again than open those blood-stained old papers and suffocate the past and his most pure first love in rising smoke, blood, and revenge.

Now she was already at the end of her road, destined to fail. Why should he add insult to injury and personally send her on her final journey?

Better to forget each other completely – owing nothing, burdening nothing, only hoping never to meet again in the next life.

Over there beneath the trees was a cluster of small flowers, faint purple, somewhat like the purple micro flowers she had loved most in the misty rain of Kunlun long ago.

If she ultimately fell on this land, he would offer this cluster of flowers before her corpse.

In his trance, it was still like those years past – on the misty mountain paths, purple micro flowers bloomed everywhere. In the morning fog, dew rolled on the flower leaves, crystal clear and bright. It was said that washing one’s eyes with dew from purple micro flowers could brighten vision and clear the heart. Each morning at dawn, she would wash her face with dew from the flowers. Only those flower petals were small, the dew difficult to collect, so she rarely used it.

When he heard about this, the next morning at the crack of dawn, he proudly brought a full basin of “purple micro flower dew” to his junior sister.

At the time he was extremely proud. Seeing the strange expressions on his martial brothers’ faces as they followed behind, he thought they were jealous – flower dew was flower dew, what difference could there be? Collecting dew from flowers with larger petals, he could gather half a basin in no time – how efficient! Ah, a bunch of fools who couldn’t even be clever when pursuing women.

He looked disdainfully at his foolish martial brothers, marching triumphantly to knock on his little junior sister’s door. When the door opened, he presented that full basin of flower dew along with a beaming smile.

Little junior sister didn’t look at him. He watched the clear water in the basin, the clear water reflecting her lotus-like face, her lips seeming to curve in a slight smile.

Then she reached out to accept the basin, softly thanking him.

He heard the sound of his martial brothers falling behind him, further despising their stupidity.

Mission accomplished in pursuing the girl, he proudly turned to look at his various martial brothers. But they were shaking their heads, sighing, looking grief-stricken, turning away. Finally it was Fifth Brother who patted his shoulder, sighing meaningfully: “Ah, no matter how much effort, it can’t compare to where someone’s heart lies. Senior Brother, you’re really lucky.”

At the time he laughed heartily, not taking these words to heart.

It was much later that he understood what they meant.

The dew on purple micro flower petals was treasured by her because of its special, distant fragrance that no other flower could replace. Her sense of smell was extremely keen – she could tell with one sniff.

The martial brothers usually spent considerable effort on this, but those flower petals were too small. Keeping vigil all night, they could only collect half a small vial the size of a finger. None of them was willing to yield to the others to pool their efforts, so they never managed to present it. Once, a martial brother had tried being opportunistic like him, offering dew from other flowers as tribute, but she had unceremoniously sent him flying into the valley.

Because she liked him, she was willing to play deaf and dumb.

He only understood this principle much later, but by the time he understood, worldly grudges and affections had already overturned everything.

He raised his fingertips, and that cluster of small flowers fell into his palm. The petals were soft and trembling, like the most treasured feelings from the beginning.

He was willing to immerse himself in this moment’s initial haziness and beauty, unwilling to face her current wretched end.

Therefore, he didn’t notice that Yélu Xunru had already quietly climbed down from the tree and was heading toward the battlefield.

In worldly affairs and their consequences, avoidance has its own punishment.

…

Yélu Qi and the others met Xu Pingran head-on.

In fact, they couldn’t leave even if they wanted to now. Xu Pingran had gone mad and was commanding the remaining Snow Mountain disciples to surround everyone completely.

Xu Pingran was currently trapped in extreme pain – the golden needle fragments had basically been expelled, but there was an even more sinister, cold feeling inside her body. It clashed and fought with her previous corpse poison, causing her meridians to spasm. Her blood alternated between raging like boiling water and freezing like ice. Not all poisons could counter poison; similar types of poison would only worsen symptoms. Even worse, it seemed fragments had already entered her brain. She had severe headaches, thunderous ringing in her ears, and the whole world appeared chaotically blood-red before her eyes. Any slight disturbance felt like thunder striking her head. This kind of pain was even harder to bear than physical pain. She only wanted to vent, to kill, to see others bleed and herself bleed.

A person’s abilities in desperate situations far exceed normal limits. Meng Hu risked his life charging forward, but instantly arced through the air and was flung far to the other side of the lotus pond.

Seven Kill went up, using all sorts of methods – even those unorthodox techniques like puppet arts, insect control, and soul capture. Unfortunately, small insects couldn’t enter Xu Pingran’s force field, soul capture had no effect on half-mad people, and mad people displayed even greater power than in normal states. Seven Kill was also miserably thrown out one by one, with those who persisted longer being thrown farther. The last to be thrown out was Yi Qi, who flew over the courtyard and crashed back-first into a tall ginkgo tree in the neighboring yard. The loud bang could be heard from far away. The tree shook with a rustling sound as branches, leaves, and bird droppings flew together. Yi Qi cried out in pain, when suddenly he heard a cold snort from above. Looking up, he saw a white figure shoot skyward, still brushing at clothing mid-air – apparently also hit by bird eggs and droppings.

Seeing those white clothes, Yi Qi was startled. This attire, this bearing, this cleanliness obsession – clearly a Heavenly Gate member. But what was this person doing hiding here? Could it be that seeing defeat was imminent, he was hiding here to avoid disaster?

He scrambled to his feet, shouting loudly: “Hey! There’s another one here!”

Six fellow sufferers whooshed over – not to fight, but intending to mock Yi Qi. Seeing that person’s face, they all paused. An acquaintance.

The commotion here alarmed Xu Pingran over there. She had originally been staring coldly at Yélu Qi, planning to completely eliminate this young man who had once made a fool of her. Turning her head, she suddenly saw Yélu Tan standing on the wall in the night.

She paused, feeling this person looked familiar, and suddenly seemed to remember something important. She couldn’t help but land on the wall, holding her head and trying hard to recall.

Taking advantage of this moment, Yélu Xunru had already slipped to Yélu Qi’s side, tugging at his sleeve and saying: “Little Qi, stop fighting. If you ask me, madmen are the most dangerous. You should get out of here quickly.”

Turning her head and seeing Yélu Qi’s flushed face, she was startled and said: “What’s wrong with you? It’s like you’ve taken some aphrodisiac!”

Yélu Qi turned around, overjoyed to see his sister. Hearing these words made him feel embarrassed. The heat wave in his body had been triggered earlier by the naked female formation and Jing Hengbo, then continued with constant fighting. That surge of heat was somehow impossible to dispel. Now discovered by his sister, he could only say awkwardly: “It’s a bit hot.” Looking around, he quickly pushed Yélu Xunru: “Sister, this isn’t a place for you to be. Don’t get involved. Where’s Purple Micro Superior? Did he come too?”

Yélu Xunru pursed her lips and snorted: “He came! But he’s thinking about his old lover and won’t join the fight! Otherwise, why would you all be fighting so desperately?”

Hearing that Purple Micro Superior was present, Yélu Qi felt much more at ease. With him there, he wouldn’t let sister be harmed by Xu Pingran.

Just as he was about to persuade Yélu Xunru to leave, he saw her turn to look at the wall and smile: “Third Young Master followed too. Speaking of which, he’s still the old witch’s direct disciple. What’s he planning to do now?”

As soon as she said this, Xu Pingran, who had been holding her head in agonized thought on the wall, suddenly looked up sharply.

Direct disciple!

Her last direct disciple!

Yélu Tan of the Yélu family!

Only now did she remember that her reason for selecting Yélu Tan directly into the inner sect was also because of this disciple’s special constitution.

Like Jixiang, Yélu Tan was also born with ice bones and snow organs – excellent material for cultivating Heavenly Gate techniques. Unlike Jixiang, he had been discovered early. Because of his exceptional talent, she had taken him into the inner sect, making him a direct disciple. His own family was a wealthy noble house with access to the best resources and cultivation methods in Heavenly Gate and even the world. His body and bones would be even more useful to her than Jixiang!

Some people in this world had special constitutions – like Gong Yin, or like the annoying Yélu Xunru before her. The latter’s Diamond Heart was the most valued unique constitution of the Kunlun sect. The so-called Diamond Heart referred to people with vigorous heart blood, strong temperament, and extremely hot constitution. People with this constitution were prone to early illness and often had defects, but their heart blood, refined through Kunlun Palace’s secret methods, was an important catalyst for treating severe poisons. If Kunlun Palace’s Bright Moon Heart, Diamond Heart, and Bodhi Blood could be gathered together, they would form legendary medicine. However, all three required extremely high cultivation from practitioners, were rarely found together, and with Kunlun already destroyed, the knowledge had long been lost.

Xu Pingran really wanted to capture Yélu Xunru and devour her heart alive, but unfortunately the Diamond Heart alone conflicted directly with Heavenly Gate techniques. If she ate Yélu Xunru, she would die even faster.

But now Yélu Tan was here.

Xu Pingran’s eyes brightened. At this moment, Yélu Tan could redeem her suffering, give her a chance to recover completely, and then kill everyone here!

“Yélu Tan!” She called out to that direction, her demeanor suddenly becoming calm.

Everyone had just been unable to catch their breath from her mad attacks, and in the blink of an eye, seeing her suddenly regain calm – standing on the rooftop in the night sky, her sleeves fluttering, her countenance cold and clear, seemingly once again filled with immortal aura – they couldn’t help but look at each other in amazement.

This was… normal again?

Was this good or bad?

Hearing that almost gentle call, Yélu Tan couldn’t help but turn around. He saw his mistress standing at the eaves corner, with red light from the glazed lantern beneath her feet spreading out. Her white clothes seemed to connect with the night’s moon, like snow, like jade, vaguely resembling those years on Snow Mountain – sacred and noble, making him always want to prostrate himself in the dust before this supremely honorable woman.

Under the accumulated authority, his reverence remained undiminished. He unconsciously responded to her call, crossed the courtyard wall and landed in the yard, bowing from afar before her: “Master.”

Xu Pingran stared at him, and the corner of her lips actually floated up in a faint smile. She beckoned and smiled: “I haven’t seen you for a long time. I thought something had happened to you. Since you’re here now, it’s perfect timing. Your master has something to instruct you.”

Yélu Tan had no suspicions and respectfully replied: “Yes.” He flew forward.

Seeing the master and disciple meeting, seemingly about to reminisce, everyone felt it strange but was happy to catch their breath and observe what was really wrong with Xu Pingran, so no one made a move.

However, Yélu Xunru had been staring intently at Xu Pingran. When Yélu Tan passed by her, she grabbed his sleeve and whispered: “I see her smiling in a ghostly way. She doesn’t seem quite normal. You’d better not go.”

Yélu Tan turned to look at her, seeing her full cheeks and excellent complexion. Thinking of her being with Purple Micro Superior, her attitude and expression were indeed different from usual. His heart ached, and he couldn’t help but stiffen his face, brushing away her sleeve. After brushing it away, he felt his action was too harsh. Glancing at her again, she smiled carelessly, her gaze still vigilantly fixed on Xu Pingran. He couldn’t help but sigh.

He sighed at her tolerance and ease, and also resented her tolerance and ease. Only by not caring could she be tolerant.

With a trace of sigh flowing through his heart, he said stiffly: “If possible, I’d also like to persuade Master not to make things difficult for you all.”

Yélu Xunru snorted coldly: “Can’t you see who’s strong and who’s weak in this situation? Having her quickly surrender and admit defeat would be the real thing.”

Yélu Tan sighed again, not intending to argue with her, and swept toward the rooftop.

Yélu Xunru’s eyes rolled, and she pulled Yélu Qi, making a gesture. The siblings had a telepathic connection and quietly moved into the shadow of the courtyard wall where Xu Pingran couldn’t see them, then stealthily transferred from the shadows toward the eaves where Xu Pingran stood.

The two stood under the eaves, looking up. This house had been mostly destroyed when Gong Yin and Xu Pingran clashed palms earlier, and many roof tiles were damaged. Now, through the sparse gaps between tiles, they could hear the conversation above fairly clearly.

Actually, there wasn’t much conversation above. Heavenly Gate people were always noble and pretentious. It was just Xu Pingran saying faintly: “You came?”

Yélu Tan respectfully bowed again: “This disciple inquires after Master’s well-being!”

Xu Pingran’s tone was very gratified and peaceful. She actually reached out to support Yélu Tan’s shoulder, saying: “Get up.”

Yélu Tan was somewhat surprised and also somewhat flattered, his shoulders stiffening slightly as he looked up at his mistress.

In the distance, Purple Micro Superior absent-mindedly turned around, made a “Huh?” sound and said: “Where’s the girl?” Suddenly looking up and seeing Xu Pingran in the moonlight on the rooftop, he couldn’t help but pause. He instinctively looked away, but suddenly turned back to look again, then swept over like flying.

The moon’s shadow rose and fell, casting only blurred light and shadow beneath the eaves. Yélu Xunru could feel the people above moving. Though she couldn’t see the actions clearly, somehow her heart suddenly tightened with an ominous intuition, and she instinctively blurted out: “Yélu Tan, get away!”

Before her words finished, Xu Pingran’s hand had already grasped Yélu Tan’s shoulder. With a soft “crack,” Yélu Tan’s whole body trembled, his face instantly turning deathly pale!

The moment Xu Pingran’s hand touched Yélu Tan, her heart filled with wild joy. This disciple’s constitution was indeed much stronger than Jixiang’s. A stream of clear flow like a snow spring surged into her body. Her headache immediately lessened considerably, and even her vision became much clearer. Looking up, she saw purple robes flying in the night sky as her old enemy shot toward her with unprecedented speed.

This scene in her eyes only increased her anger and disgust. Thinking of the warning she had just heard from below, the fury that had been suppressed in her chest for so long suddenly flared up. Not caring that she still needed to cultivate for healing, she laughed coldly: “Those who speak out of turn die!” She raised her hand and grabbed fiercely downward!

This grab came suddenly. The Yélu siblings under the eaves had seen her begin cultivation and were considering whether to unite with others to interrupt it, lest she recover and bring greater harm to everyone. Who could have thought that her stimulation was too deep, her hatred for Yélu Xunru had reached its peak, and she would disregard her own cultivation to attack first!

“Crack!” A splitting sound as roof tiles shattered. White silk flashed, wrapping around Yélu Xunru’s waist and lifting her up!

“Stop!” Yélu Qi immediately drew his sword, but the sword light only reached his sister’s feet. He leaped up, rushing toward the hole in the roof.

“Get lost!” Yélu Xunru had never been one to submit to control. While in mid-air, she lifted her foot and kicked hard. “Crack!” – she kicked against the roof beam, breaking the beam in half, and got stuck right in the hole in the roof.

“Stop!” Purple Micro Superior had arrived, reaching out to grab Xu Pingran. His jade-like palm opened like a lotus in the moonlight, with all of Xu Pingran’s vital points covered under his palm.

Xu Pingran suddenly looked up and said fiercely: “Good! You come too! All of you come to kill me!”

The lotus shadow suddenly withdrew, the howling wind stopped. Purple Micro Superior’s hand paused, meeting Xu Pingran’s eyes directly.

Little junior sister’s eyes.

That year they were clear and quiet, faint as water. This morning they were cold and desolate, cold as ice. Time had turned the pages of the past, youth carried away, old love buried, leaving only this moment’s empty wind under the moon, old reunion in aging. This night’s blood color bloomed layer upon layer beneath their feet, yet in her eyes he saw that year’s misty rain on Kunlun’s green mountain paths, the pale blue paper umbrella moving silently in curves, the tall, jade-like man emerging from behind the Welcome Guest Stone, laughing once: “Little junior sister.”

No answer. The pale blue paper umbrella gently moved away, and that face made all of Kunlun suddenly become monotone ink wash, with only her concentrating all the colors of heaven and earth.

Then it was the day of Kunlun’s collapse in the earthen pit, in the pine forest piled with blood and corpses, in the blurred vision was a swaying skirt hem, walking indifferently out of his life.

Years later, her life was under his palm. That heart cold as snow – how should he use the rest of his life’s greater pain to toy with it?

A moment’s fleeting thoughts, a moment’s emotional tide, a moment when reason was drowned by old love and deep affection. At this moment, he actually stopped his killing hand in mid-air.

Then in Xu Pingran’s eyes, he saw a trace of smile.

Familiar, cold and knowing, proud and mocking, a smile that had everything under control.

He suddenly awakened, urgently saying: “Pingran, don’t!” His stopped palm reached forward to grab her, wanting to restrain her first.

But it was already too late.

Xu Pingran suddenly lowered her head, ignoring his shouts and movements, lifted her foot, and stomped hard on the chest of Yélu Xunru, who was lying at her feet, stuck in the roof hole, trying to escape!

“Bang!” A tremendous crash as Yélu Xunru was stomped down hard, smashing into the house, brushing past Yélu Qi who was rushing up. Yélu Qi tried to catch her mid-air with his sword sheathed, but only brushed her sleeve corner. His voice was heart-rending: “Sister!”

Dust rose from the ground. Yélu Xunru made no sound.

Yélu Tan, who had been rigid and unable to move, suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

At the same time, Xu Pingran’s face changed, angrily saying: “You… you don’t want your life!” Her face flashed with blue energy, then suddenly turned bright red, obviously her breath was disordered.

A purple shadow flashed as Purple Micro Superior’s sleeve wind had already swept over: “Xu Pingran, you…”

The last word didn’t come out. The sleeve wind had already struck Xu Pingran’s chest. Having been backlashed by Yélu Tan’s desperate resistance, how could she withstand this blow? She spat out blood with a “puff” and fell backward like a kite with a broken string.

Purple Micro Superior didn’t pursue, immediately rushing down from the roof.

All this happened in an instant.

Yélu Qi, who was about to fall down, saw Purple Micro Superior had already gone down and instead stopped mid-air, turned around, and rushed up to the rooftop.

At a glance, he saw Xu Pingran floating backward on the rooftop.

The sect master’s wife floated while spitting blood, her eyes tragic and resentful, yet she floated very quickly, about to cross over the roof ridge.

Yélu Qi saw her face alternating between blue and red in the moonlight, while her eyes turned blood-red, obviously her internal blood and qi disorder had reached its peak.

A figure appeared silently behind her on the roof ridge, half-covered in snow, eyes like night.

Pei Shu.

At this moment, he had finally put down Meng Potian’s corpse and came to intercept this mortal enemy.

The brave and fierce young marshal had never been willing to ambush anyone in his life, nor willing to appear behind someone’s back. Each of his moves was thunderous and magnificent, determined to let the whole world hear.

However, at this moment he raised his palm, silently striking toward Xu Pingran’s back.

Xu Pingran still retained a master’s vigilance. The alternating hot and cold airflow changes behind her made her detect the ambush. She immediately swept forward and reached back to grab Yélu Qi.

With her current condition, she was no longer sufficient to deal with all the enemies here, but she could take a hostage and leave!

But Yélu Qi had long been prepared for her. Almost as soon as Pei Shu appeared, he began retreating. Though Xu Pingran was fast, she only managed to grab his lapel.

“Rip!” Xu Pingran’s sharp fingers tore Yélu Qi’s outer garment from collar straight down to his abdomen.

The moonlight was pale, illuminating both of them.

For some reason, after his clothes were torn, though Yélu Qi could have broken free, he didn’t immediately retreat. Instead, he stared unblinkingly at Xu Pingran’s eyes, as if waiting for some moment.

Xu Pingran didn’t care what he wanted to do. She sneered coldly and thrust her fingers forward, about to disembowel him.

But her hand suddenly stopped, her eyes went rigid, staring at Yélu Qi’s lower abdomen.

There, on his jade-colored skin, was a patch of faint blue-red color, vaguely revealing a pattern.

Red cloud pattern.

Xu Pingran was struck as if by lightning.

She opened her mouth, uttering an “Ah” sound, as if wanting to say something, but was momentarily choked, unable to speak.

Emotional tides surged – shock, wild joy, disbelief, hope, regret… countless emotions coiled around her heart like snakes. She suddenly felt suffocated, all the blood and meridians in her body seeming to flow backward in reverse.

But Yélu Qi’s eyes flashed with wild joy – he had waited for this moment!

The thin blade was like snow, a brilliant flash.

“Hiss.” The sword entered Xu Pingran’s ribs three inches deep.

Blood shot out like a spear, brightening both their eyes. Xu Pingran trembled violently, her eyes widening, reflecting the greatest terror in the world.

No, it couldn’t be!

Blood sprayed, but Yélu Qi didn’t stop. His sword flashed like lightning, striking continuously according to his calculations.

“Hiss.” The sword entered three inches left of the heart.

“Hiss.” The sword entered one inch above the dantian.

“Hiss.” The sword entered the Inner Pass acupoint.

“Hiss.” The sword entered the Celestial Pivot acupoint.

…

Sword in, sword out, swift as wind. Yélu Qi’s ruthless determination at this moment came from his grief and fury at definitely avenging his sister.

Blood fountains gushed violently, spraying in intersecting arcs. Under the pale blue moonlight, a shower of peach blossom rain fell.

All around was silent, awed by this killing that could shock the world.

Everyone stood frozen in place, watching the blood spray like rainbows continuously onto the blue roof tiles, forgetting to act for their own side.

No one understood why Yélu Qi would strike this way, and no one understood why Xu Pingran, who clearly could have fought back, showed no resistance at all.

Yélu Qi didn’t think so much. He only knew his method was correct. During those days when he was captured by Xu Pingran, he paid an enormous price and, through research with Gong Yin, finally obtained the best method for dealing with Xu Pingran.

When Xu Pingran’s poison techniques backlashed and yellow spots suddenly appeared in her eyes, that was when her reverse flow was most turbulent and she was weakest.

The positions where he struck with his sword were the main critical points of Xu Pingran’s cultivation route. Under seven swords, she would definitely become a cripple.

Seven swords created blood bridges like rainbows, connecting him and her. The moonlight was suddenly obscured by thin clouds, and the dim light also darkened the blood color. He saw her fall sadly, and at the moment of falling, the expression in her eyes surged like treacherous clouds.

He didn’t intend to give up.

Leaving this woman with an ice heart and cold bones in the world would mean no peace for anyone, ever.

The long sword moved forward, with no return. This time it directly aimed for her heart meridian.

The sword point entered flesh, still with a “hiss” sound as flesh opened. But he was slightly stunned.

Xu Pingran’s heart meridian was already severed.

How did it break?

Was it backlash from the poison technique, or did she sever it herself? The latter shouldn’t be like this.

His sword remained above Xu Pingran’s heart. Xu Pingran lay like a piece of early spring snow, withered on the roof tiles.

She lay in her own pool of blood, staring tightly at Yélu Qi, at his face, at the gradually fading totem in his open garment.

That was the totem she had personally tattooed years ago to demonstrate her beloved child’s identity, representing the highest status of a Heavenly Gate heir, representing that he was her… beloved child.

How many days and nights she had held that child in her arms, never getting enough of his skin and milk fragrance. She knew she would never again have love and fulfillment in her life. All her love and care were in this flesh and blood in her arms at this moment, unique in the world.

Until that day when external enemies invaded and the sect resisted. When she hurriedly returned, Murong Zhen held a small charred skeleton and told her the child had been killed by an assassin who had infiltrated.

Her child was gone.

Overnight, her milk dried up, and even her menstruation stopped forever. She could never have her own child again.

She had once resigned herself to fate, but years later suddenly felt unwilling. She always felt there were many suspicious points about that day’s events. How could Murong Zhen’s words be completely trusted? How could assassins easily enter the heavily guarded main hall? Murong Chou’s attitude afterward also seemed too subtle – the anger and pain seemed to be hers alone.

If he was still alive, in some strange place…

Perhaps that was a delusion born from a mother’s pain at losing her child, but she seemed to grasp it like a lifeline, stubbornly believing it was true, and searched for it for a lifetime.

Then, at the end of her life, she finally knew who he was.

Passing each other by, becoming enemies, she had countless opportunities to recognize him, yet she imprisoned and persecuted him as a captive. She used every method to trace his whereabouts, yet never knew he had once been so close. She regarded him as an enemy, he treated her as a great foe. Her blood ultimately flowed under his blade, and those eyes inherited from her were full of hatred for her. Reunion represented not the return of blood ties, but reckoning and ending.

How ridiculous, how… cruel.

In a moment, the word “heart” finally turned to ash.

After seven swords, with her last bit of true power, she reversed the flow and severed her own heart meridian.

Having been unable to leave him any gifts in life, at the very end, the crime of matricide could not be left to him…

Her vision gradually blurred. Light footsteps sounded like thunder. In her blurred vision was a face that seemed both strange and familiar. She stared deadly at that face, and in the final hazy pain and joy, softly said: “Child, you are my…”

A gust of wind passed.

Countless fallen snow swirled, with a few traces of thin frost.

Deep night, cold tiles, cold moon, sparse stars. The proud daughter of Heavenly Gate, who had enjoyed honor all her life, finally slept eternally on this thinnest and coldest bed.

Yélu Qi quietly walked to her side, sheathed his sword, and looked down at her pale face and those eyes that remained wide open in death, still retaining a trace of complex emotion he could never understand.

He had heard that word “child” but not the second half of the sentence. He thought, would this cold woman, who maintained her pride even in death, also think of her own child at the moment of departure?

At this moment there was no joy, no relief either. Somehow, looking at her corpse that wouldn’t close its eyes in death, his heart felt empty and faint, like the particularly pale moonlight at this moment.

Perhaps it was because this lifelong great enemy had finally died, causing the sense of loss that follows victory.

Pei Shu walked over indifferently, glanced at Xu Pingran’s corpse with a trace of disgust in his eyes, then jumped down to pursue and kill those Snow Mountain disciples.

He regretted that although he had facilitated Xu Pingran’s death, he hadn’t been able to finish her off personally.

Purple Micro Superior swept up, holding Yélu Xunru in his arms. Yélu Qi immediately forgot about Xu Pingran, turned and hurried to meet him. On the other side, Yélu Tan was also struggling to crawl over.

He crawled while spitting blood, his face ghastly blue, obviously his desperate resistance had severely injured him. Yélu Qi helped him up.

Under the pale moonlight, Purple Micro Superior’s face was deathly pale, seeming to have aged ten years in an instant. Seeing his expression, Yélu Qi and Yélu Tan felt their vision go dark, unable to even ask questions for a moment.

After a long while, Purple Micro Superior shook his head and said in a low voice: “She’s still breathing, but… it may be very difficult…”

Yélu Qi’s bewildered gaze fell on Yélu Xunru’s face. His sister looked no different, just with a worse complexion and slight depression in her chest. He couldn’t imagine how such injuries could cause lifelong unconsciousness to his sister who would never bow down even in death.

She was such a resilient person – losing her mother, losing her father, going blind, being reduced to a servant, bullied by the family, yet still raising him and training his martial arts. Because she loved someone, she spent her whole life searching for light in darkness.

Would such a person lie lifeless on a bed from now on, enduring the long remainder of her life?

He couldn’t accept it. He only felt as if countless ice knives had suddenly been inserted into his chest, slowly twisting, causing such pain that he couldn’t help but slowly crouch down.

But Yélu Tan suddenly began coughing and cursing.

“Purple Micro!” He angrily faced Purple Micro Superior, spitting out a mouthful of bloody foam. “It’s all your delay! All your hesitation! All your inability to forget old love! Since you knew Xunru was deeply rooted in love for you, Xu Pingran would definitely kill her quickly. How could you still let go! How could you still be conflicted! Your conflict cost her life! You are the murderer!”

The shrill angry curses were blown away by the cold wind. Purple Micro Superior’s body kept trembling slightly.

He held Yélu Xunru in his arms. Using half his life’s cultivation, he could only preserve one breath. She was destined never to wake up in this life.

This was the woman who loved him.

At his feet was Xu Pingran’s corpse. That woman lay thinly in the cold tiles and solitary moon, never again to lower her head and give him a knowing and clear smile.

This was the woman he loved.

He had deceived himself all his life, deceived his life, hypnotized the past, forgotten survival, used laughter and anger to hide hatred and resentment, constantly indulging and escaping, thinking this was fulfillment, magnanimity, ease, and freedom.

In the end, fate dealt him a harsh blow, telling him that evasion and hesitation could only drive himself and others into the corner of death.

He had thought: “No, no, no.”

In the end: “Wrong, wrong, wrong.”

He trembled more and more violently, like a leaf in the wind. That head of hair, blacker and brighter than a woman’s like bright satin, gradually became like fallen frost and snow, strand by strand, thread by thread, turning moon-white.

The crystal-perfect state of mind gained through self-deception finally shattered into countless pieces. Time flowed rapidly through this night – one night, thirty years.

He aged in an instant.

Life and death cannot return; in a moment, completely white-haired.

…

The shocking changes of life and death in Meng Manor, earth-shaking and heaven-overturning, had not yet reached Jing Hengbo’s ears.

She was pursuing Gong Yin.

Somehow, tonight she felt ominous. She didn’t know on whom disaster would ultimately fall. She could only selfishly choose the most important one with the weakest power.

Gong Yin was very fast. When she chased after him, she had already lost his trail. Fortunately, the Dragon family disciples were all nearby. Though the Dragon family disciples hadn’t entered the manor, they would definitely follow Gong Yin’s actions. She only needed to follow that group.

This chase actually lasted a long time. Halfway through, she met Tian Qi, who had the best lightness skills. Only then did she learn that after she left, he was worried about her and Gong Yin and directly chased after them. But because Jing Hengbo was too fast, he almost lost her trail and barely managed to find her again.

With Tian Qi there, Jing Hengbo was naturally happy to have another helper, though she sighed for a long time after hearing about Yélu Xunru’s fate.

In the battle with Xu Pingran, she had lost two close friends.

She only hoped not to lose any more.

The two chased out of Meng City, out of Meng Kingdom’s borders. Three days later, she even took a boat across the Liuli tribe’s waters.

She didn’t know who Gong Yin was chasing to go so far, pursuing to the point of ignoring Meng Manor’s affairs and directly leaving Meng Kingdom. She also couldn’t understand why she couldn’t keep up with Gong Yin’s speed, making her suspect whether Gong Yin was chasing enemies or trying to shake her off again.

After entering Liuli territory, she was even more frustrated to discover that Dragon family disciples were beginning to disappear.

Not all disappearing, but one by one going missing. A couple would be gone on this road, another couple missing after half a day, so that after a day, the group ahead had lost more than half before she noticed something was wrong.

Were these people going ahead according to Gong Yin’s arrangements to intercept enemies, or had they simply left?

With growing doubts in her heart, she could only continue pursuing.

This day they reached Water Moon City, a border city of the Liuli tribe. Hearing this place name made her somewhat dazed – water moon, mirror flower, this name was truly ominous.

The Dragon family disciples ahead were drinking tea at a roadside tea shed. She and Tian Qi also found a food stall to eat something casually, as they were quite tired.

She was already five months pregnant, her lower abdomen slightly protruding. She had recently changed to wearing somewhat loose dresses that made it unnoticeable.

She caressed her belly, thinking that once she caught up with Gong Yin and dealt with the enemies, she would tell him about this.

With Xu Pingran already dead, there weren’t many enemies left. In this Meng Manor incident, there was vaguely another group causing trouble, and she suspected it was that “dead” cloaked figure.

He was a troublesome character – troublesome because he always lurked in the shadows. The fishing hadn’t completely drawn him out. If they could resolve this matter this time, the vast world would belong to her and Gong Yin.

Ahead in the tea shed, the Dragon family disciples suddenly all settled their bills and quickly walked out of the shed. Jing Hengbo and Tian Qi hurriedly abandoned their half-finished bean curd brain and followed them out of the eatery.

She could have directly contacted the Dragon family disciples and had them take her to find Gong Yin. After all, she still had the Dragon family head’s seal, and the Dragon family’s acceptance of her was much higher than before. But somehow, she always felt that if she actually appeared before the Dragon family disciples, she would likely lose track of Gong Yin from then on.

The Dragon family disciples didn’t linger in Water Moon City but continued straight through the city. By now the sky had grown dark, and lights were being lit on the streets. Gradually, a strange sight appeared that couldn’t be seen elsewhere – many people walking on the streets, under the reflection of various colored lights, had crystalline light flickering on their bodies, reflecting off each other like glass people.

So there were many street performers in Liuli territory, most doing “great human transformations.” To Jing Hengbo, it looked more like hide-and-seek or a finding game – how to find the one you’re looking for among a group of people whose faces you can’t see clearly.

Because of this, her vision was interfered with, and she had to strain her eyes considerably to see each person ahead clearly.

There were also some disabled people by the roadside, half-performing and half-begging. One place had a particularly large crowd. She peered through the gaps and saw several people disabled in rather shocking ways. Unlike the Liuli people, they lacked the ability to shine and sparkle. Among them was a woman wearing a fox mask, wrapped entirely in a black robe. The black robe was extremely wide and large, concealing her limbs. Those limbs were very strange, like four small beasts bouncing within the black robe at amplitudes and frequencies impossible for human bodies. A scarred man threw out a bird. Though clearly far from the black-robed woman – his arms absolutely couldn’t reach – somehow there was a soft “crack” sound, and the bird that was about to fly out of the crowd was already dead beneath the black robe. Dirty blood and scattered feathers stained a corner of the robe. Amid the crowd’s cheers, the black-robed woman lowered her head and seemed to chuckle “heh heh.” The black robe bounced, flicking away the bird feathers. Jing Hengbo vaguely saw something furry flash beneath the black robe.

Behind that black-robed woman, another woman with missing hands and feet who also wore a mask had people guess where her hands and feet were, offering a reward. The Liuli people were good at hiding and finding, yet everyone searched enthusiastically for a long time without success. After whetting everyone’s appetite, the woman with missing limbs chuckled and boldly took out two sections of white bone from her bosom – clearly shaped like hands and feet, but small as bird claws. She leisurely attached them to herself. No one had expected these hands and feet to be so small. Everyone cursed her for fraud. The woman wasn’t angered and somehow activated some mechanism. Those feet small as bird and beast claws actually waved at the crowd. Her remaining normal-sized hand and leg made her look very comical after attaching these small appendages. This wave made her look like a giant with half a dwarf’s body attached. Everyone found it novel and burst into laughter. Then a man came limping over to collect money.

Standing at the street corner watching this scene, Jing Hengbo felt very uneasy – eerie, unclean, disgusting. It was like seeing monsters wheezing in the darkness, dripping mucus, dragging bloody tongues, writhing closer.

Tian Qi’s expression was even more disgusted than hers. He dragged her away: “Don’t look anymore. They’re all disgusting, pitiful people.”

The Dragon family disciples ahead moved with the crowd. Tonight this small city was extremely lively. They heard it was the annual “Hundred Convergence Theater” grand competition, when all of Liuli’s performing troupes gathered in this small city.

As Jing Hengbo walked, she listened to the surrounding people chat and discuss, quickly understanding what this “Hundred Convergence Theater” competition was about. Simply put, the Liuli tribe prided themselves on their invisibility skills. Whoever could become invisible best was the most impressive. This custom developed over time into many entertainments and performances. Gradually, folk performers would choose a city each year to compete in invisibility and performance skills. This was originally entertainment for common folk, but Liuli invisibility was closely related to martial arts inheritance, containing many hidden techniques. As it developed over time, some martial artists seeking secrets and wealthy nobles also became interested, participating in various ways to exchange skills and improve abilities. Eventually, this originally humble folk competition gained official support. Every year the government would organize a grand competition where folk artists, martial heroes, officials, and even nobles might participate.

For example, this year’s competition was held in Water Moon City. Reportedly, this year’s competition had a wealthy sponsor who changed many of the competition rules, increased difficulty, set dangerous obstacles, and naturally greatly increased the rewards. With great rewards came brave challengers, so many people participated this year. The preliminary selections had already taken three days, and tonight was the final grand competition.

Jing Hengbo certainly didn’t want to watch the excitement – she wanted to find Gong Yin. She also didn’t think Gong Yin would like such excitement. But very unexpectedly, she saw the Dragon family people following the crowd out of the city.

Tonight Water Moon City had no curfew and delayed closing the city gates because the final round of the “Hundred Convergence Theater” competition was set at Mirror Flower Mountain outside the city.

Jing Hengbo had no choice but to follow them out of the city, keeping her eyes on those figures ahead in the flickering crowd of lights. That mountain wasn’t far from Water Moon City, but it was very famous – everyone recognized it because at the foot of the mountain was a branch of the Liuli swamp, with an entire river flowing around the mountain.

Having traveled through almost all the tribes in the Great Wilderness, Jing Hengbo knew that the representative swamps of almost all tribes were in remote places, not passing through cities. After all, swamps weren’t suitable for building cities around. However, the Liuli swamp was an exception. The Liuli people always regarded places where the Liuli swamp passed as blessed land and gathered to live there.

Jing Hengbo had originally been indifferent, but when she suddenly saw a “Milky Way” in the night, she too was shocked.

It was like a galaxy falling from the sky to earth, or moonlight reflecting in mountains and rivers, or sunlight diluted and dissolved, meandering through the fields, transformed into a giant ribbon studded with gems. From a greater distance, on the dark blue earth ran a silver dragon, with scattered lights flashing, appearing and disappearing. The surrounding mountains were layers of dark shadows – exactly the endless dense clouds born from the dragon, with long tails trailing and wind and clouds gathering.

“So beautiful,” Jing Hengbo couldn’t help sighing.

Someone nearby heard her and immediately laughed heartily: “Miss, you’re from out of town, right? First time seeing the Liuli swamp? A word of warning – beautiful as it is, don’t approach it lightly.”

“What, is this swamp poisonous?” Jing Hengbo remembered never hearing that the Liuli swamp was harmful to humans. If it were harmful, how could they practice such invisibility techniques?

“Not poison, but weight,” the old man who responded said. “The Liuli swamp is ten times heavier than ordinary swamps. Occasional contact is fine, but if you fall in…”

He smiled without finishing. Jing Hengbo thought about the consequences of falling into that massive, heavy swamp and felt her whole body go numb.

Would there even be bones left?

“In the past, no one ever fell in – after all, this is common knowledge. But tonight…” someone else chimed in, “it’s hard to say.”

“People die for wealth, birds die for food,” the first old man sighed, suddenly raising his eyebrows. “Hurry, we’ll be late.”

Before Jing Hengbo could ask what was happening, the two had already hurried ahead. She had no choice but to follow them up the mountain. Fortunately, this mountain wasn’t high or particularly steep, with only one path up, so there was no fear of getting lost.

Before going up the mountain, Jing Hengbo looked around at the terrain and the winding heavy swamp below, saying to Tian Qi: “Everyone here is from the Liuli tribe – we’re too obviously different. You’d better not go up the mountain. Stay at the foot and listen for my signal, ready to respond at any time.”

Tian Qi agreed, pointing at the silver-glittering swamp and laughing: “If someone’s up to no good, the target will definitely be this swamp. I’ll guard here – even if you fall down, don’t worry.”

“Thumbs up.” Jing Hengbo laughed, watching Tian Qi vanish into the darkness, then followed the crowd up the mountain alone.

She walked until reaching a platform halfway up the mountain. From far away she could hear the buzz of voices, and looking closer saw a field of starlight flickering – large groups of transparent and semi-transparent people gathered here. No lights were lit anywhere, to help distinguish people’s presence. Mountain shadows loomed, pine waves flew past, and among them was a large twinkling crowd – completely a ghost movie scene.

Someone like Jing Hengbo who wasn’t invisible at all became an oddity in the crowd. As she walked by, most people looked sideways and consciously avoided her, as if being with her was embarrassing. As a result, she easily made her way to the very front of the crowd, facing the so-called competition platform.

Only now did she understand what that “people die for wealth, birds die for food” meant. The competition platform was actually suspended in mid-air between two mountains, connected only by four iron chains with thin wooden boards about three zhang square laid across them. Below the platform was the silver-glittering Liuli swamp.

All performances and competitions took place on the platform. Once you lost and fell, it meant death.

Presumably this competition offered rich rewards worth risking one’s life for.

There were already people fighting on the platform, but Jing Hengbo had no heart to watch. Before walking that stretch of road, she had already noticed that the group of Dragon family people who also couldn’t become invisible had disappeared again.

She had watched this group go up the mountain. There was only one path up and down the mountain – where could they have gone?

Also, since the Dragon family people had reached here, Gong Yin was also here. Where was he now?

Jing Hengbo felt anxious, looking left and right, paying no attention to the platform opposite. The competition had already begun. She heard mountain-shaking cheers and excited crowds, but had no interest in watching.

Vaguely someone fell, causing an uproar. She paid no attention.

Vaguely someone appeared among them, causing admiration from the crowd. She paid no attention either.

Mountain winds billowed, making the aerial fighting platform sway back and forth. Various figures became even more flowing with light, hard to distinguish, making people dizzy to watch.

Suddenly someone came onto the platform and seemed to say something. All around became quiet. Jing Hengbo’s gaze was still searching everywhere when she suddenly felt everyone staring at her strangely, which surprised her.

Then she heard someone from the suspended platform repeat: “We need an outsider who can’t become invisible!”

Everyone’s gazes stabbed at her in unison. She was the only one here who didn’t shimmer. The other ordinary Liuli people, even if they didn’t practice special techniques, would have slightly glowing skin in the night after being near the Liuli swamp for long.

Jing Hengbo looked around in amazement, pointing at her own nose: “Me?”

Everyone nodded in unison: “You.”

Jing Hengbo looked up at the platform and – lo and behold – it was exactly the performing group she’d seen on the street earlier. Those two eerie masked women and several men with numb expressions.

Two women and three men, five people total.

At this moment, the disabled woman was slowly beckoning to her. Under her stiff sandalwood mask were beautifully lined, blood-red lips. Her empty sleeves hung down, but Jing Hengbo thought of the small bone hands she’d attached earlier.

Behind her, the black-robed woman with long sleeves and pants had draped her sleeves and pant legs over the chain railings of the platform. Her whole body swayed lightly with the suspended platform, her black sleeves and pant legs floating in the air like soul-summoning banners.

That sick, unclean, uncomfortable feeling came again. She immediately shook her head and laughed: “I don’t know how to perform.”

“You don’t need to know – just help out,” someone immediately pushed her enthusiastically. “Are you afraid because that place is suspended? Don’t worry, there’ll be a rope tied around your waist.”

“No, I’m scared.” Jing Hengbo brushed away the hands pushing her. What a joke – why would the empress go on stage to perform for your entertainment?

But the Liuli people weren’t willing to give up this chance to watch a good show. They all said: “This is the last group to perform. They’re said to be quite skilled. You just need to go up and stand there, just stand and cooperate.” As they spoke, the crowd surged forward as if afraid she’d escape, blocking her path.

“No, no, I’m afraid of heights.” Jing Hengbo tried to leave, but the people behind her surged forward in layers, blocking her again. Some impatient ones were already cursing: “Hey, what’s wrong with you, woman? Dawdling like this – it’s just going up to cooperate. Don’t delay our show or we’ll throw you down!”

Jing Hengbo raised her eyebrows, looking at the crowd – damn it, they were actually forcing people into this? Was there no reason left?

However, everything was dazzling before her eyes – she couldn’t see clearly who was who. She helplessly sighed, thinking that since Gong Yin hadn’t appeared until now, she might as well leave here first and wait at the mountain entrance.

Just as she was about to instantly move through the crowd, she unconsciously looked up.

This glance went over the crowd before her toward the aerial platform. The several people on the platform seemed indifferent to whether she came over or not, their stiff masks seeming to smile but not smile. However, behind them on the other mountain, originally the judges’ viewing platform area, behind that arbitration group composed of officials and local strongmen, she suddenly saw clearly a figure.

Black cloak.

That person – she didn’t know if he had just appeared or had always been there, only hidden by mountain stone shadows until she discovered him now. He stood quietly in the darkness, as if he might dissolve into the darkness the next moment.

Her eyes suddenly narrowed again.

On the cliff above the cloaked figure, there seemed vaguely to be a white shadow that flashed by.

Gong Yin?

She immediately stopped her departing steps.

After a moment’s thought, she smiled: “Alright.”

The people eager to watch the show immediately happily made way. Many, afraid she’d change her mind, crowded around her all the way to the cliff edge. Someone tied a very thick rope around her waist, with the other end secured under a large stone at the cliff edge. Countless people said enthusiastically: “Miss, don’t worry, we’re watching the rope. It definitely won’t break – we guarantee your safety.”

Jing Hengbo grimaced, really not knowing whether to scold these people for being bored or thank them for being bored.

She walked along the chains toward the platform. The five people opposite stood quietly, their gazes focused on her.

Jing Hengbo had a strange feeling. She seemed to be walking toward a dark cave mouth. Inside that cave, among scattered white bones, were wild beasts and enemies. Those greedy beasts silently raised their heads waiting for her to approach, their green eyes glowing with deep hatred.

Yes, hatred.

Though those five gazes were calm to the point of numbness, she still felt the air heavy with a rust-and-blood-like atmosphere, felt the killing intent desperately hidden but not completely concealed in that atmosphere, felt hatred thicker than blood and heavier than mountains pressing down on this platform, on this swamp, on her.

She didn’t stop walking.

Gong Yin was here.

No matter what kind of trap, there had to be a resolution.

She was also tired of constantly being ambushed.

She walked onto the platform. Opposite were those five people. The black-clothed woman in the middle with fluttering sleeves grinned and said in a hoarse voice: “We have a new trick that needs the miss’s cooperation. Thank you for helping.”

“How do I cooperate?”

“Miss, you just need to help us hold this flag. Remember to use the flag to cover your face.” A short, stocky man walked over, pulling out a square red flag. The flag had no patterns or words, and the fabric was quite ordinary.

This person’s voice was also coarse and hoarse, and he walked with a slight limp.

“The five of us will each demonstrate our abilities toward this flag,” the black-robed woman said. “I will stand one zhang away and paint this miss’s eyebrows through the flag.”

The mountain cliff viewing platform buzzed with sound. Everyone seemed very interested. Someone laughed: “Painting eyebrows should be the boudoir pleasure between an elegant young master and this miss. What’s it to you to paint them?”

Everyone laughed heartily. The five people paid no attention. The disabled woman waved her small hands: “I’ll ask this miss to hold the flag taut. I’ll dance the King’s Battle Array Music on the flag.”

Everyone was amazed. Dancing suspended on a flag wasn’t much, and a disabled person being able to dance was barely impressive. But the King’s Battle Array Music was different – this was a famous Liuli musical piece requiring dancers to have vast internal power, dancing while stamping on giant drums. Every step and landing had to produce magnificent sound. Slightly lighter drums couldn’t achieve this effect, let alone this light, fluttering flag. Moreover, this woman was missing a hand and foot, and her attached prosthetics were like toys. Setting aside other things, the light and heavy drum beats would definitely not be balanced.

The crowd’s questioning voices were quite loud, but those people still smiled slightly and eerily. The short, stocky man simply said: “I’ll make the flag in her hands disappear.”

Another tall, thin man with a slightly cold temperament said in a hissing voice: “Or should I make her disappear too?”

Everyone laughed, thinking it was a joke.

The last man, who hadn’t spoken and was mountain-like in build, said in a deep voice: “I’m only responsible for collecting payment after the performance.”

Everyone laughed heartily, finding this very humorous.

Jing Hengbo also tugged at the corner of her mouth. This was indeed quite witty.

The short, stocky man smiled sinisterly: “Unfold the flag and cover your face, or I’m afraid you’ll be frightened.”

Jing Hengbo slowly unfolded the flag. The red flag was very heavy, but she could still see the figures opposite through it.

The black-robed woman slowly drifted over, her sleeves and pant legs trailing like a black snake.

She faced Jing Hengbo. Her sleeves shook continuously, as if something inside them was about to pounce out at any moment.

The eyes showing through the mask seemed to be smiling, yet that smile was more chilling than this night, this moon, this silver-gleaming swamp.

People on both sides were somewhat nervous. This posture, these eyes – they really lacked the artistic conception of a beauty painting eyebrows under the moon.

People also couldn’t figure out how, from such a distance with thick cloth blocking, that hand could reach behind the flag to paint this girl’s eyebrows.

The black robe trembled slightly, slowly rising.

At this moment, only pine waves could be heard in the mountains.

Jing Hengbo suddenly folded the flag.

Everyone was stunned.

The trembling black-robed sleeves trembled even more violently.

“Ming City.” Jing Hengbo weighed the flag, looking opposite. Her voice was incomparably clear, reaching the ears of the five people opposite: “Can your mechanically controlled hand really paint a good pair of eyebrows? I’m very afraid you’ll make me ugly.”

The black robe’s trembling suddenly stopped. The woman’s fox mask jerked up, her gaze ghastly green and venomous!

Jing Hengbo had already turned to the other disabled woman.

“Fei Luo.” She said expressionlessly: “Does dancing with fake hands and feet count as dancing?”

She casually tore and threw the flag. The red flag puffed out a faint dust cloud, instantly carried away by the wind.

The crowd cried out in alarm. Some were still confused while others vaguely understood.

This flag had poisonous powder in its layers. Once the disabled woman danced the Battle Array Music on the flag – which required internal power to activate – the hidden poison powder would enter the flag-holder’s breathing.

Jing Hengbo paid no attention to Fei Luo with her wildly shaking bone hands, turning instead to the short, stocky man. She squinted at him for a long while before sighing: “Chi Ming, what have you been transformed into? A perfectly good gang leader not being a gang leader but becoming a ghost instead. Can’t make it in the Tortoiseshell martial world, so the Liuli martial world is easier to mix in?”

Chi Ming stared at her venomously, his hoarse voice saying: “You still have the face to mention it? It’s all thanks to you!”

Jing Hengbo shook her head, then looked at the expressionless tall, thin man. This person’s frame looked very soft, leaning against the chains as if he’d be blown off by the wind.

Jing Hengbo thought for a moment and said: “You’re that Heavenly Gate disciple who once led disciples to hunt me and him, right? I wonder if Xu Pingran would be furious to death seeing you like this.”

“She won’t see it,” the tall, thin man said flatly. “Or would she be interested in seeing your corpse? Remember, my name is Namuer.”

“Might as well call yourself Rotten Mushroom.” Jing Hengbo chuckled, her gaze finally settling on the mountain-like robust middle-aged man. She said somewhat puzzled: “I really can’t quite remember who you are.”

“Having done so much harm, naturally you can’t remember everyone you’ve wronged.” The middle-aged man took off his shirt, revealing his powerful upper body. But what was shocking was that his left shoulder and arm were iron-black in color. Looking closely, they were actually real iron, connected to his right side’s intact muscle and skin – equally eerie and shocking.

He said indifferently: “However, it’s enough that I remember you. Your Majesty the Empress, today we should settle the account for my father and son together.”

“Cheng Gumo! You’re actually not dead!” Jing Hengbo said with sudden realization. “Today everyone’s actually gathered!”

“I told you, I’m responsible for settling accounts,” Cheng Gumo answered indifferently.

As soon as he finished speaking, “crack” – the rope around Jing Hengbo’s waist snapped.

Behind her came tumultuous, noisy, crowding sounds. Without looking back, Jing Hengbo knew the people were being driven down the mountain.

“Crack, crack” – several consecutive sounds. No one knew how Cheng Gumo struck, but in the blink of an eye, three of the four chains broke, and Jing Hengbo had already flashed toward the opposite cliff.

“Don’t run!” Ming City’s voice was sharp and shrill. Her sleeve flicked, and a green light like a long snake struck directly at Jing Hengbo’s back.

Fei Luo rolled nimbly on the broken chains, somehow already appearing at the cliff edge. Her bone fist struck with a bang, creating a green spark. The fire blazed up at the cliff edge, instantly enveloping the not-wide viewing platform. Those arbitrators silently collapsed to the ground.

Namuer’s thin body stretched even longer, long as a giant python, spanning one side of the mountain cliff. With a coil and flick, he covered Jing Hengbo from above.

Chi Ming curled into a ball – a soft, boneless ball. Bouncing in mid-air, he reached high above Jing Hengbo’s head. Spreading his hands, countless black spikes whistled out from his mouth.

Cheng Gumo was like a giant gecko, silently nailed to the black cliff. His iron hands were like steel rods and bones, inserting into the hard cliff layer like cutting tofu, easily splitting open the rock seams. The entire platform used as a viewing stand above immediately tottered precariously. He slipped his palms flat into the stone cracks and with a “hey!” sound actually lifted the entire stone platform!

These five people’s physical abilities were no longer like ordinary humans. Working together, they instantly sealed off all of Jing Hengbo’s escape routes – up, down, left, and right.

Jing Hengbo was instantly in a desperate situation!

But Jing Hengbo didn’t try to struggle out of the desperate situation. She only looked up.

Above, a white shadow flashed as Gong Yin appeared.

Jing Hengbo’s eyes brightened. He was indeed here!

Gong Yin flashed to above Chi Ming at the highest point. Chi Ming was like a spinning ball rolling chaotically in the air, constantly shooting out black spikes. From afar he looked like a crazed hedgehog. It was hard to imagine how a person could curl his body like that – where had all his bones gone?

Not just him – the other several people had also become inhuman. To become inhuman in form, they must have endured inhuman suffering. However much they had experienced, they would hate the instigator equally.

So Chi Ming shrieked and floated in the air, constantly bouncing off cliff faces like a ball of flesh. Each bounce shot out rain-like black light. Wherever Gong Yin landed on the cliff walls, he would viciously crash into him with his body.

Once Gong Yin’s hand had already grabbed his spine, but after a “tearing” sound, Gong Yin’s hand slid right across his back. Chi Ming’s back only showed faint blood traces that disappeared immediately.

“Smack!” Namuer’s strangely elongated body whipped hard at Gong Yin. Gong Yin flashed aside as Namuer crashed into the cliff wall. The hard cliff rained down rubble with a clattering sound, leaving long groove marks like whip marks. Namuer was completely unharmed, his body turning extremely flexibly in the air, appearing behind Gong Yin in an instant.

At this moment, Fei Luo burning with flames and Ming City with fluttering sleeves both attacked Gong Yin. But Gong Yin paid no attention, suddenly turning when Namuer turned, grabbing Namuer with a reverse hand motion as if Namuer had automatically delivered himself.

Light and flame flashed, black shadows like snakes. Fei Luo’s yellow-red flames, Ming City’s rolling, bouncing, shooting sleeves, and the giant stones Cheng Gumo hurled had reached his back.

A figure flashed as Jing Hengbo appeared, standing right in the cliff crevice that had just been whipped out by Namuer. With a wave of her hand, the giant stones changed direction, smashing toward Ming City and Fei Luo. Those two hurriedly dodged, a streak of flame shot backward toward Ming City, while the black, rolling, writhing sleeves coiled toward Fei Luo.

The two shrieked and collided in mid-air, then scattered apart.

Gong Yin paid no attention to all these changes. With his back entrusted to Jing Hengbo, he no longer needed to worry. He grabbed Namuer and, like wielding a giant whip, turned to lash downward.

This lash struck Chi Ming, who was charging up like a ball of flesh. Both Chi Ming and Namuer let out miserable howls. When the two modified bodies collided, Chi Ming’s skin that even Gong Yin couldn’t tear was torn open in countless bloody gashes by Namuer’s lashing, blood gushing out. Namuer’s slippery, snake-like elastic skin was punctured all over by Chi Ming’s surrounding black spikes, making him look exactly like a giant sea cucumber.

The two screamed as they fell downward. Ming City swept over, her black sleeves rustling and flicking, shooting out something covered in green fur to catch Namuer and Chi Ming. However, Chi Ming’s body was too slippery, and Namuer was covered in spikes. Ming City’s hand shook and couldn’t hold Chi Ming, and was stabbed by Namuer causing her to shriek. Her sleeve loosened, and those two tumbled down.

A large stone flew across horizontally. Cheng Gumo’s brute strength was astonishing. He hurled the giant stone, once again intercepting the two. Namuer’s thin, long body easily caught on, but Chi Ming, rolling like a ball, slipped off the giant stone again and fell downward.

This time no one could save him. Everyone watched helplessly as he plunged straight to the cliff bottom, sinking into that patch of silver-glittering swamp.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the swamp. When Chi Ming first entered, he didn’t react immediately, struggling to get ashore. However, those flowing, beautiful silver rivers suddenly accelerated, and large masses of silver mud flowed over, layer upon layer pressing down on Chi Ming. He struggled out one inch only to be pressed down two inches, sinking at an extremely rapid speed. Vaguely there were crackling sounds as his arm exposed above the swamp suddenly exploded. From fingertips to elbow, his skin split inch by inch, revealing purple-black blood vessels different from normal humans. Then the blood vessels also exploded, spraying out blue-purple blood, leaving only stark white bones. Then even the bones exploded, with pink marrow splattering everywhere, falling into the silver-glittering swamp. The swamp remained silver and glittering…

And the tragic appearance on his face, those squeezed and protruding features – their horror was even more indescribable. Jing Hengbo only glanced once and nearly vomited, having to turn away her face, grateful that Tian Qi was staying below so she and Gong Yin didn’t need to worry about their retreat.

This tragic scene also shocked the remaining four. Namuer lay panting on the giant stone, a trace of cowardice flashing in his eyes as he struggled to drag his spike-covered body up the cliff, clearly planning to escape.

Jing Hengbo didn’t stop him. The cloaked figure was still there – she needed to be more wary of that person. She had seen similar deformed people in the mountain belly of Yi Kingdom. They were probably the cloaked figure’s experimental subjects – some successful, some failed. These few mortal enemies before her were among the most powerful of the successful ones. How could someone who could create such disgusting things be allowed to remain alive in the world?

Ming City and the others watched with flickering eyes. They had originally been full of confidence, but now facing Jing Hengbo and Gong Yin working together, they discovered it still seemed irresistible. Seeing Namuer climb up, they were also somewhat restless.

Jing Hengbo stared intently at where Namuer was climbing. Was the cloaked figure there?

Suddenly there was a miserable howl – exactly Namuer’s voice. Then a black shadow flashed overhead with a whooshing sound, and Namuer had already fallen from the cliff.

This happened so suddenly that everyone was stunned. Looking down, they saw Namuer plummeting straight down, his face ghastly pale in mid-air, his body twisted in a strange posture, as if in this brief moment he had already been broken into several sections.

“Smack.” A soft sound as he too plunged into the Liuli swamp. That beautiful yet terrible swamp mud immediately surged over, and everyone turned their heads away.

Jing Hengbo drew in a sharp breath. What a ruthless cloaked figure.

For such a person, not allowing betrayal and retreat was normal, but striking so decisively and ruthlessly still made her feel slightly chilled.

This clearly intimidated the remaining three. After a moment of silence, Fei Luo howled and charged over first.

Her body with attached bone hands and feet could actually move freely on the cliff walls. Those bones were automatically burning, producing strange yellow-red fire. Wherever she passed, the fire lines hissed downward. Though the cliff walls were damp, they couldn’t stop the fire from spreading. On the contrary, the cliff walls were rapidly dried out, and stones fell like powder mixed with poisonous sparks.

Since her climbing route was consistent with where Gong Yin and Jing Hengbo stood, as long as the two remained in the recessed area below the cliff, they would definitely be touched by this fire. So Gong Yin and Jing Hengbo exchanged glances. Gong Yin said, “Up?”

Jing Hengbo said, “Down.”

Going up, there might still be the cloaked figure and his deformed army waiting. Going down, though closer to the Liuli swamp, there were definitely no others there. Below was completely visible, and besides, Tian Qi was still providing support.

Gong Yin nodded. He seemed unwilling to say much. Jing Hengbo looked at him, feeling his complexion seemed too transparent, and her worry surged up. She couldn’t help asking, “Are you alright? You faced Xu Pingran alone, and she seemed to be injured under your hand. What about you? Are you okay?”

“Of course not.” Gong Yin answered very calmly, so calmly that no one could doubt it. But Jing Hengbo was still uneasy and pressed, “Then why do you want to…”

“Careful.” Gong Yin suddenly pushed her aside. The two dodged a cluster of falling flames. Ming City had gone somewhere unknown. Above, Cheng Gumo was rapidly descending along the cliff wall. His hard iron hands gripping the cliff wall created holes with each grasp.

Jing Hengbo landed on a protruding area on the other side, barely managing to steady herself by grasping vines, when she suddenly heard Gong Yin say, “Hengbo, is there something else you want to tell me?”

Jing Hengbo was stunned, not understanding why he would suddenly ask this question at this moment. Then she remembered the secret she had planned to tell him, and a sweet feeling rose in her heart. Just as she was about to speak, seeing the disgusting monsters closing in around them, she felt that announcing such good news in front of such “people” would really spoil the mood. She smiled and said, “After we deal with these people, I’ll tell you.”

“Hengbo,” but Gong Yin seemed not to care what she answered, saying to himself, “So that’s it, you still have things to say, many things left undone. So we must continue, like it was in the beginning.”

“Yes,” Jing Hengbo narrowed her eyes, saying wistfully, “We still have many things to say, many things to do. I also want to return to the beginning, like going back to revisit that mountain forest where we once suffered hardship, to see if those monkeys are still there.”

“Or Tranquil Court would work too. Tranquil Court is most beautiful when the red maples turn red. I believe you still remember.”

“Yes.” Jing Hengbo smiled until her eyes curved, remembering that year drinking wine under the red maple trees at Tranquil Court, playing truth or dare.

“Then remember to go.” As soon as Gong Yin finished this sentence, howling wind rose overhead as Cheng Gumo approached. Somehow Fei Luo was crouching on his back – the two together looked exactly like parasitic beasts.

Jing Hengbo was just thinking whether to manipulate the nearby tree to beat these two bloody or grab them off the cliff wall, when she heard Gong Yin say, “Stay put.” He reached out to stroke her hair, then swept away.

Jing Hengbo was somewhat dazed for a moment, suddenly feeling that his attitude and actions tonight were rather strange, making her heart inexplicably pound – what had happened?

She leaned out to look down and saw Gong Yin smoothly sliding down along the cliff wall. Wherever he passed, the cliff wall gleamed with flashing white light. Then nearby came a strange cry and the hair-raising sound of claw tips scraping against the cliff wall. Cheng Gumo, who had nearly reached above her head, slid past her at extremely high speed all the way to the bottom. Cheng Gumo refused to give up, clawing all the way, trying to use his iron claws capable of splitting iron and stone to grip the cliff wall, but still uncontrollably slid down.

Some cool, fine debris splashed onto Jing Hengbo’s face. She reached up to touch it and found it was crushed stone mixed with ice crystals, making her laugh helplessly.

Gong Yin had used his powerful ice and snow true qi to instantly freeze the cliff wall into an ice surface. Cheng Gumo had one powerful arm, but his other three limbs were ordinary, so naturally he would slide all the way down.

A figure leaped as Fei Luo, seeing the situation was bad, rolled off Cheng Gumo’s back. She was in mid-air, desperately seeking a place to land. With difficulty she spotted a recessed area on the cliff wall and was about to sweep over when suddenly there was a cracking sound. A small tree from the cliff wall tumbled down, striking right on her extended bone hand. At the same time, she heard Jing Hengbo’s voice: “Down!”

Fei Luo shrieked as she was struck down by the tree with her flames. Ice crystals meeting fire energy made a “hiss” sound, and thick white mist rose from below. Not only could Jing Hengbo not see whether Fei Luo and Cheng Gumo had actually reached the bottom, she temporarily couldn’t see Gong Yin either.

This made her somewhat uneasy. Why hadn’t Gong Yin come up yet?

Suddenly she heard someone calling her from the opposite cliff: “Hengbo.” It seemed to be Gong Yin’s voice.

Jing Hengbo instinctively looked over. The opposite side was pitch black with nothing visible. She was concentrating her vision when suddenly a strong light flashed from across.

Strong light!

Incomparably bright light.

It was indescribable why this light could be so bright, like laser-white and blinding. Jing Hengbo suddenly closed her eyes. Instantly golden stars flashed chaotically before her eyes, and tears uncontrollably streamed out.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she knew something was wrong. Then she felt someone behind her, giving her a gentle push.

She involuntarily fell downward, hearing Ming City’s voice above laughing wildly.

“Hahaha, you still die by my hand!”

“Hahahaha, for stealing my things! For stealing my throne and my people!”

Jing Hengbo didn’t hear the rest. She shouted loudly, “Tian Qi!” Opening her eyes, everything was white and blurred – she couldn’t see anything. She didn’t know if it was because of the mist below or if her eyes were really injured. She tried hard to recall the position of the entire cliff wall, remembering where she could find footing.

The wind sound suddenly stopped, her body halted, and a pair of arms caught her. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking how wonderful.

How wonderful, at any moment of crisis, he was there.

How wonderful, forever in his embrace.

The chest beneath her seemed somewhat cold and stiff. At this moment her heart was full of relief and joy, so she didn’t pay attention, only thinking that he had just used his cultivation, so naturally he was cold. She couldn’t help wrapping her arms around his neck.

But Gong Yin pulled away her hands and threw her toward the cliff wall on one side. She had regained a little vision by now and saw Tian Qi had already rushed out below to respond. She laughed, “No need to throw, why don’t we…”

She wanted to say why not go down together – with Tian Qi catching them, nothing would happen anyway. This cliff wall was actually more dangerous with the cloaked figure’s monsters being too numerous.

Before she finished speaking, her body had already flown out. Then she vaguely seemed to see Tian Qi raise his hand and throw something, piercing through clouds and mist straight toward her and Gong Yin’s direction.

She thought it would be good for Tian Qi to catch Gong Yin down too.

She thought she might as well deal with Ming City on the cliff wall, then reunite with Gong Yin.

She thought that with her, Tian Qi, and Gong Yin working together, they would definitely keep the cloaked figure here today.

Then she saw a spark.

A spark flying from Tian Qi’s hand.

Growing larger and brighter, spiraling upward, it exploded at Gong Yin’s feet, wrapping around Gong Yin’s ankle and dragging his body downward.

“Smack” – her back hit the cliff wall. She stared with her still-tearing eyes and shouted loudly, “Tian Qi, what is that thing? Don’t hurt Gong Yin…”

Her voice cut off abruptly.

But her heartbeat soared to its peak in an instant.

Through her hazy vision, she vaguely saw that the rope… that rope had not, as she had imagined, pulled Gong Yin across the zhang-wide Liuli swamp. The rope’s direction was pulling straight down!

The direction was aimed directly at the swamp!

And Gong Yin seemed to be injured by the sparks, unable to change his falling trajectory!

“No!” She suddenly threw herself downward, sliding rapidly down the cliff face where remnant ice remained and was extremely slippery. In a flash she slid to the cliff bottom, hooked her foot in a cliff crevice, leaned out and desperately reached for Gong Yin’s arm.

One arm’s distance!

“Grab me!” This moment’s shriek was almost pleading.

The mist before her was thicker. He seemed to raise his hand trying to reach her, yet also seemed not to. Before her, clouds and mist swirled thick and thin, circling back and forth like fate’s mysterious arrangement – the full picture wouldn’t be revealed until the very end. She vaguely touched his slightly cool clothing, the cold sensation remaining on her fingertips sliding away.

Sliding away.

As if a sharp blade had also instantly sliced through her heart, cutting through meridians and shattering her heart chamber. Blood gushed wildly, pain unending.

She desperately reached out her palm toward the empty void before her, shouting loudly, “Gong Yin! Get up! Get up! I still have something to tell you! Get up and listen! I’m pregnant with your…”

“Smack.”

A familiar, terrifying soft sound.

Like thunder exploding beside her ear, she was so shocked she forgot what she was about to say. She stared with her mouth open for a while, then suddenly threw herself downward.

Below was the Liuli swamp, but at this moment she couldn’t care about anything. She didn’t believe it, she didn’t believe Gong Yin would fall into the swamp like this. She didn’t believe that when victory was clearly in their grasp, such an accident would happen. She didn’t believe that the backup she had arranged suddenly became the killer, and Gong Yin was being destroyed by her self-righteousness and blind confidence.

In this instant she forgot there were enemies above and below, forgot she was already pregnant, forgot she too might fall into the swamp. She only wanted to throw herself down – if he had fallen in, to fish him out; if he hadn’t fallen in, to beat him to death!

Her body fell downward. Behind her came a tremendous wind sound that struck hard on her back. She could no longer control her body position and plunged head-first straight toward the swamp.

She could already see the glittering Liuli swamp below.

It really was like the Milky Way – like the heavenly Milky Way fallen to earth, beautiful as a dream yet cruel as a demon, burying the beautiful dreams of her lifetime.

There was no one on the river surface. She couldn’t see the tragic scene she had imagined, but there was a section of broken rope floating on the silver river.

This was the last moment’s scene that rushed into her eyes. She waited for the next instant when she would be pressed into the bottom of the swamp. She could already smell the slightly fishy scent of the silver river – beneath such beautiful purity hid too much flesh, blood, and white bones.

Then at the very last moment when her nose was about to touch the swamp, her arm tightened and her body suddenly flew sideways, pulled away by a great force.

At this moment she suddenly wanted to laugh, wanted to laugh bitterly – when she hoped someone would pull the rope away, no one pulled it; when she hoped someone would pull her away while falling head-first, they just had to pull her away!

Then hope surged in her heart again – Ah! Gong Yin! It must be Gong Yin.

With a thud she landed. Before she could stand steady, she had already jumped up, shouting loudly, “Gong Yin! Gong Yin!”

But no one answered from all around. A figure quickly scurried up, climbing along the cliff wall, shouting upward while climbing, “You promised to make me a real woman, you promised!”

From above came a faint loud laugh, someone saying, “Since you completed the task, I naturally keep my promise!”

“Tian Qi!” Jing Hengbo screamed miserably, “Why! Why!”

Tian Qi climbed up the mountain very quickly, climbing while not looking back: “Why! Didn’t you hear what I said just now? I want to be a woman, only he can help me. For this purpose, I’d sell even gods and ghosts!”

Jing Hengbo staggered back a step, looking at that increasingly small black shadow in disbelief.

Impossible! Impossible! How could Tian Qi be a spy? He had followed by her side for several years, participating in various important affairs. She had always trusted him very much. If he was the cloaked figure’s spy, there had been countless opportunities to succeed. Why had he never acted before?

Precisely because he showed no signs of being a traitor, she and Gong Yin had never suspected there was a mole among them. A mole who didn’t act was no different from a loyal servant.

That laughing voice above seemed to hear her confusion and laughed, “A truly useful mole, used once at the most appropriate moment to decide the overall situation, is enough!”

Jing Hengbo retreated another step in confusion. What was the appropriate moment? If they wanted to kill her and Gong Yin, any of the previous times would have worked. Why wait until now? Why was now the best opportunity? What was this so-called timing related to?

Tian Qi’s gender identity confusion – she had never taken it to heart. Who knew that in his heart, he actually considered “being a woman” the most important thing in his life.

But at this moment her mood was chaotic, and she couldn’t think about anything.

“Gong Yin… Gong Yin…” She turned back, calling in a small voice, almost pleadingly, “I know it’s you, please come out, okay?”

“Please come out, okay?”

All around was silent empty wind. No one. The Liuli swamp was gurgling and bubbling. The broken rope floated, and the swamp flowed slowly – it wouldn’t quickly carry objects away.

“This joke isn’t fun,” she said softly.

No one paid attention to her. Would Gong Yin really love joking this much? She thought she was about to get angry.

“Did you hear clearly what I said just now?” Her voice was a bit hoarse from shouting earlier, now a bit sharp, thin with a slight sobbing sound, “I have your child, I’m pregnant, over five months now. Are you happy? Such happy news and you won’t come out? You dare not come out? If you don’t come out, be careful – from now on the child will take Yélu Qi’s surname…”

Someone sighed softly.

Jing Hengbo’s wild joy instantly soared to its peak, then instantly plummeted to the depths.

Several figures walked out – tall, in white clothes, with cold temperaments.

But they weren’t Gong Yin. None of them were.

Jing Hengbo’s hope-filled gaze swept over those people. These were Dragon family disciples. The leader was Gong Yin’s only distant nephew. But where was Gong Yin?

She stood on tiptoe looking behind them, knowing in her heart this action was foolish. Behind them was completely visible – where could a person hide?

Gong Yin’s nephew, called Long Wei, stared at her belly, wanting to say something but hesitating without speaking. After a long while he sighed and said, “Aunt… Your Majesty, please take care of your health…”

“Where is your uncle?” Jing Hengbo urgently interrupted him.

Long Wei didn’t speak, his gaze drifting toward the swamp, his eyes containing a deep sadness.

Struck by that gaze, Jing Hengbo said dizzily, “Don’t joke around…”

She felt weak and slowly sat down, sitting on the cold muddy ground.

“Auntie.” Long Wei hesitated again for a while before saying with determination, “Don’t be too sad. Uncle… his lifespan wasn’t long to begin with…”

Jing Hengbo looked at him somewhat dazedly, “Ah?” After a while she reacted, “Ah!”

A thought jumped out from her chaotic mind – impossible, didn’t Mingzhu risk her life to cure him?

“Mingzhu and Uncle didn’t merge. Uncle’s condition at that time – if they didn’t merge, there was no way to reverse-channel true power. Forcing the reverse-channeling would only cause his internal organs to rupture and die on the spot.” Long Wei said quietly, “So Mingzhu had no choice but to select the most cruel method for herself. She forcibly interrupted halfway through the reverse-channeling. You know, any forcible interruption of cultivation will inevitably backlash on oneself, so Mingzhu’s body burst apart on the spot and died extremely miserably…”

Jing Hengbo stared and made an “ah” sound. The doubt that had lingered in her heart for a long time was finally understood at this moment.

Even if Mingzhu didn’t merge and forced the reverse-channeling of true power, she would die, but supposedly she shouldn’t have died so miserably. So that was it.

“Because only half was reverse-channeled, naturally it couldn’t achieve full effect. Uncle’s problem wasn’t fundamentally resolved – it was only temporarily suppressed. Supposedly if he had retreated to the mountains and forests, searched everywhere for spiritual medicines, and carefully recuperated, he might still have had a chance. But at the very least, before recovering, he couldn’t be injured again or even engage in martial combat. But he didn’t leave. Then at Meng Manor, he first exchanged a palm strike with Heavenly Gate’s Madam Xu, then was ambushed and poisoned. Actually, it had already flared up… The longer injuries and poison are suppressed, the more fierce they become when they erupt. He knew he wouldn’t live much longer…”

Jing Hengbo numbly listened. Long Wei’s voice seemed sometimes far, sometimes near, like being in a dream.

At this moment, if this really was a dream, how wonderful that would be.

“So Uncle arranged for us to leave separately along the way pursuing the cloaked figure, scattering into the mountains and forests to hide again. We few vaguely guessed the truth and were worried, so after walking far we turned back, just in time to see Uncle fall… and rescue you…”

Jing Hengbo supported herself with her hands on the ground, weakly asking, “You saw… you saw?”

Long Wei knew what she was referring to. He hesitated, gritted his teeth and said, “Yes… Your Majesty, please accept our condolences.”

Jing Hengbo’s arm supporting her on the ground went soft, and her long black hair hung down.

Her heart was ice-cold, as if the Liuli swamp had seeped into her muscles and bones, and as if she was being ground over by countless crushed glass pieces, with bone-deep pain and mangled flesh and blood.

Why, why was she always so careless?

Why hadn’t she discovered that he hadn’t fully recovered?

Why was she always accustomed to his strength, trusting in his strength, always feeling that his worry about his body was a kind of excuse, never truly believing he would really have an episode, would have an accident?

If carelessness should be punished by heaven, why not punish her?

The three from Long Wei quietly watched her. This usually bright and radiant woman was now withered by the faintly glittering Liuli swamp, as dim as a wilted flower.

The vigorous life force that even life and death trials couldn’t extract withered away in an instant.

After a long while, her voice finally came, dark and low, “Let me be alone for a while…”

Long Wei and the others were silent for a while, ultimately not knowing how to console her, and walked away silently.

With the family head gone, Jing Hengbo, who held the Dragon family token, was actually equivalent to the new family head. Her will could not be disobeyed.

Jing Hengbo didn’t pay attention to where they went. In this world now, there was no one worth paying attention to anymore.

She also didn’t get up to try to search for Gong Yin again. Even though to this moment she still didn’t believe he had really perished in the Liuli swamp, she knew she wouldn’t find him here.

Or perhaps she would never be able to find him again in her lifetime.

Whether he died or became disabled, he would inevitably experience life’s greatest change. And he wouldn’t want her to bear this change together. He had long been prepared to quietly go forward alone, to the other shore, where red spider lilies bloomed everywhere.

Without her.

And she was also unwilling to search aimlessly here at this moment, using a destined disappointment to tell herself there was no hope for the rest of her life.

No.

She hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she hadn’t faced it personally, so she absolutely wouldn’t accept the fate he had arranged again.

She silently prostrated by the swamp shore, listening to the swamp slowly flowing like time. The swamp flowed toward one direction, time rushed toward one destination. No one had the power to flow upstream and see again the scenery once missed.

Her long hair fell to the ground, chilled by the night wind. This night’s moon was blurred and dim. Only the silver swamp glowed faintly, while the dark blue, mottled mountain cliffs plunged down from the horizon. The view was like having a knife inserted into one’s eye socket.

Jing Hengbo was silent as death.

As if she never wanted to rise again.

The mountain cliffs plunged downward. A black shadow moved slowly on the cliffs, toward the direction of Jing Hengbo, who was now in agony wishing for death.