Fierce battles raged around the city walls. Jing Hengbo was trapped in heavy encirclement atop the city, while in the tower hole, Yelu Qi and Xu Pingran faced each other in confrontation.

The walls continuously shook, causing the sword-like ice spikes protruding from them to rustle and rub against each other. Broken ice constantly fell with dripping sounds, accompanying Xu Pingran’s footsteps as she advanced.

Yelu Qi slowly stood up, staring at Xu Pingran’s pace. But Xu Pingran seemed somewhat distracted, looking upward as she walked.

She was more concerned about the second Gong Yin. With such important matters at stake and doubts weighing on her heart, she only wanted to find him and verify with her own eyes once more.

A figure flashed before her eyes—Yelu Qi had already blocked her path.

Xu Pingran looked up at him. This tall, graceful man had a form and expression that felt vaguely familiar—a feeling hard to say was liking or disgust, but for the moment she couldn’t summon killing intent toward him.

But blocking her path was still unacceptable.

“Don’t overestimate yourself,” she said indifferently, turning away her gaze. “Killing you would be very easy for me.”

Yelu Qi smiled: “Then perhaps you could try.”

Xu Pingran looked at him coldly, disgust rising in her heart—she hated seeing men who would risk everything for women.

A dignified man who couldn’t prioritize life and empire—what was the point of living?

“Ten moves,” she said impassively. “That’s how long you can live.”

Yelu Qi was still smiling: “Shall we try then?”

A black shadow flashed as he charged forward first. Snow wind howled, but Xu Pingran’s steps remained indifferently forward.

The tower floor shook with thunderous vibrations. The layer of ice that had formed earlier was shattered again and again, but the pale red crystals sealing the hole opening grew thicker and thicker. Jing Hengbo weaved through the crowd, feeling wave after wave of tremors beneath her feet, knowing that below in the hole there must be a bloody life-and-death struggle. Her heart burned with anxiety, but she was entangled by soldiers continuously surging up—the fiercer Pei Shu’s attack below, the stronger their determination to capture her above.

In the wall hole, black and white shadows intertwined. Broken snow and flying ice crashed against the walls like a waterfall, and Yelu Qi also crashed against the wall with a thud. He leaned against the wall, slowly wiping blood from his lips.

Across from him, Xu Pingran’s expression was calm, her clothes snow-white and unstained by dust. She said lightly: “Ten moves.”

“I’m still alive.” Yelu Qi’s smile was extremely gentle, so gentle it was particularly ironic.

Xu Pingran stared at him, somehow suddenly remembering that year, that night of spring breeze and light rain that didn’t wet one’s clothes. In her sleeping quarters atop Kunlun Peak, she had encountered an unexpected intruder for the first time.

She was already famous in the sect for quick reactions. Before the intruder could approach her bed, her sword had already cornered him against the wall.

The autumn water-like blade reflected that person’s picturesque features—surprisingly, it was the new little junior brother who hadn’t been in the sect long.

Under the sword light, she remembered he had a similar smile.

Fearless, even gentle, yet hiding deep mockery beneath the gentleness.

She still remembered that night’s sound of rain beating bamboo doors like jade chimes. In those chiming sounds, that conversation decided the fate of two great otherworldly sects, even all of Dahuang. Though spoken in gentle tones then, thinking carefully now, it was shocking.

“Senior Sister, would you join me in watching this sect’s downfall?”

“Why should I ally with you? You’ve just arrived on the mountain, your martial arts aren’t even as good as mine, yet you dare speak such rebellious words to me?”

“Kunlun Palace will never give you power, but I can.”

“On what basis?”

“On the basis that though my martial arts are far inferior to yours, I dare sneak into your boudoir. Among the ten disciples of Kunlun Palace, eight senior brothers, at least half love your beauty. But all these years, that group only dared patrol below the mountain, play flutes to the moon, gaze from distant peaks, even peep in the night, yet not one dared truly approach you. A group of men who don’t even dare take risks—do they deserve to lead this otherworldly sect, deserve to be your husband?”

“Filthy words. After ten moves, if you don’t die, then speak to me again!”

After ten moves.

He was covered in blood, lying on her bed, smiling at her: “I’m still alive. Come, let’s continue talking.”

…

Light and shadow shifted. Suddenly the tall young man broke through the handsome youth’s image from years past. Yelu Qi was smiling again, charging forward: “Come, let’s continue.”

She somewhat numbly raised her hand.

Ice beads flew everywhere. From qi to ice to broken rain and snow, the temperature kept dropping and dropping. Through the thick wall bricks, even Jing Hengbo felt the cold beneath her feet. The soldiers surrounding her couldn’t withstand the chill even more—their faces pale and lips white, their movements slowed.

The city wall shook violently. The captured grass people had slippery bodies that could swim across the moat and make arrows slide off them, so they could quickly pass through obstacles, slip up the city walls, and attack the soldiers responsible for operating the drawbridge atop the city.

A thunderous crash came from the distance. Guards on the city turned to look in that direction, then someone cried out in alarm: “Not good! Over at Xuanning Gate!”

In that direction, a faint line of dust rose straight up, announcing a new battle.

Jing Hengbo raised an eyebrow—Ying Bai had arrived at Xuanning Gate with his troops and begun attacking from the weakest Xuanning Gate!

Taking advantage of the moment when everyone on the walls lost focus, she flashed up to the highest tower, finally finding the soldiers guarding the drawbridge mechanism in a hidden small room. Three blades flew together—two hit people, one pried the mechanism.

With grinding sounds, the drawbridge slowly lowered—”Boom”—spreading flat across the moat.

“Boom.” Yelu Qi’s body crashed against the hole opening again. The pale red crystals had formed as thick as iron. Even his violent impact couldn’t crack them. Yelu Qi looked up and spat blood, turning the pale red to deep red.

Xu Pingran stood opposite him, this time not as neat as before. Her clothes were slightly disheveled, stained with blood and dust. Her brows were also lightly furrowed.

This junior… was truly annoyingly persistent…

She looked up at the ceiling again, preparing to leave. She had already heard that city gates in another direction seemed under attack. She still had part of her army and ballista carts left near Dige—only she could summon them if she got out.

That lingering ghost of a figure slowly, slowly moved in front of her again.

“I’m still not dead.” Yelu Qi raised his face in a smile. As he lowered his head, he had already wiped away the blood traces, afraid Jing Hengbo might suddenly teleport down and see.

Xu Pingran stared at him and slowly drew a breath.

Those familiar with her knew this meant she had killing intent.

The temperature all around dropped again and again, so cold it made one doubt this was still the mortal world.

She slowly walked forward.

Yelu Qi raised his eyes, his body trembling slightly, but the sword in his hand remained steady.

Another wave of continuous wind and snow, ice locking the space.

Outside the city walls, masses of soldiers surged across the drawbridge. Silver ballista carts rolled across with grinding sounds. Various weapons rained like a storm on the foot-thick city gates. Battering rams heavily struck the same spot, gradually creating dents. The iron bars reinforcing the gates creaked and groaned, showing black cracks. Behind the gates, sweating Dige defenders lined up shoulder to shoulder, carrying wooden braces to continuously reinforce the city defenses.

Jing Hengbo stood atop the highest tower on the city walls. Looking into the distance, she felt progress at Xuanning Gate was faster than at Dige’s main gate—after all, that was a side gate near the swamp with inherently weaker defenses.

Beneath her feet were soldiers who couldn’t climb to the tower’s highest point but were unwilling to give up on her, clustering densely. If she took one step down, she would be trapped in the crowd again, completely unable to flash into the hole to rescue anyone.

Looking further, there were the walls under assault, gates being battered, and distant gunpowder smoke and beacon fires. Countless people were fighting, countless falling, countless being trampled into bloody pulp, countless falling in blood—their own or others’. The blood of Dige defenders and Horizontal Halberd Army flowed together, leaving mottled marks all over the yellow sand. Blood stuck to boots, making squelching sounds when lifted. Those embracing corpses looked like brothers—in fact, they came from the same lineage, all Dahuang people.

Jing Hengbo suddenly felt dazed.

These people, these desperately fighting people—did they know what they were fighting for? Had they thought about who they were dying for, and whether such sacrifice was worth it?

For the power and private desires of those in high positions, countless lives were sacrificing or being sacrificed.

She had seen countless wars against foreign invaders in modern films and television, and had once been stirred to boiling blood. But at this moment, she only felt bewildered and desolate.

This was fighting among those of the same lineage, this was martyrdom for private power, this was civil war!

At this moment, she truly wanted to call for the war to stop.

She only wanted to find Gong Yin, preserve her intimate friend, and live an ordinary life in lazy contentment!

Her gaze suddenly fixed.

Ahead, on the street near the city gate, there was a woman in a luxurious cloak, hurrying forward surrounded by guards.

Even just a back view, she recognized her—that was Mingcheng!

…

“Bang.” Another sound—Yelu Qi’s body was heavily thrown against the pale red crystal wall for the fourth time.

A mouthful of stagnant blood sprayed out, turning all the ice spikes on the wall pink, glowing brilliantly.

Xu Pingran was now more disheveled than before. A piece of her sleeve was torn, and there were faint traces of blood at the corner of her lips. She used the torn sleeve to wipe the blood, staring at it in a daze—in her memory, she seemed to have never bled before.

As a youth in Kunlun Palace, she had been protected in every way by senior brothers and elders. After marriage, she was the sect leader’s wife of Nine Heavenly Gates.

Her life had been so perfect, like beautiful jade with a natural luster, never stained by dust or blood.

Her gaze grew slightly cold as she slowly turned toward Yelu Qi gasping on the ground.

Yelu Qi met her gaze and smiled gently.

“I’m still… alive.”

“Can you still block me?” she said impassively, seeing he was at the end of his strength and probably couldn’t even move.

Blood seeped from between his teeth. He busily wiped it while still smiling: “Right, I can’t block you, but do you have the face to leave? I’m still alive.”

Anger flashed in her eyes: “I haven’t been trying to kill you—you should understand!”

“Are you feeling sorry for me? Oh no, with your status as the sect leader’s wife of Heavenly Gates…” Yelu Qi smiled. “You just feel it’s beneath you to kill a junior.”

Xu Pingran closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling. It was a while before she regained composure.

This seemingly gentle and charming man actually had such unyielding backbone.

Another thing for her to hate.

She also hated her inexplicable soft-heartedness. Why had there been several chances to kill him, yet she always missed them?

Such mistakes shouldn’t happen to her.

“You’re wrong. Being able to kill is never shameful.” She gently crouched down, fingertip aimed at his throat.

He opened his eyes wide, looking steadily at her without any movement. She couldn’t even see any fear in his eyes—only a pool of still water reflecting her own image.

His pupils were large and black, the edges seemingly tinged with a faint circle of purple. In such pupils, she clearly saw herself, or perhaps, not herself.

In a trance, she remembered years past—Nine Heavenly Gates, wedding night, Murong leaning down slightly. She saw herself in his eyes, dressed in bright red, and suddenly remembered the blood of her sect.

From then on, she never looked directly at Murong again.

From then on, she never wore red again.

Faint disgust flashed in her eyes—for herself, for him, and for him too.

Pointless soft-heartedness was weak behavior, not befitting her.

She slowly reached out her hand.

…

Due to the fierce battle, many cracks had appeared in the wall hole, but neither Yelu Qi, who was fighting with all his strength, nor the distracted Xu Pingran noticed that through one of those cracks, two pairs of eyes were peering out.

Two pairs of eyes that saw everything happening in the hole clearly.

“Meng Hu, what do you think we should do?”

“Nothing. This one is Master’s romantic rival.”

“Oh. Then why aren’t you leaving, just keeping watch?”

“Can’t I watch a battle between masters?”

“Have to admit, this old witch is really something. I feel even if Master faced her, he’d probably…”

“Not probably—definitely. Master has been constantly weakening these past two years. How could he compare to her daily undisturbed cultivation in the snow mountains? Sigh, I only hope Master resolves those problems soon and recovers quickly…”

“I suddenly remember when Master left, he seemed to instruct you about how to handle fake number two.”

“…There was that. Master said fake number two can’t appear often—if he appears too much, he’ll be exposed and all previous efforts wasted. So at most twice, used at critical moments.”

“When’s the other time?”

“He said if Xu Pingran goes on a killing spree, fake number two could be used to lure her away.”

“Do you think now counts as the old witch going on a killing spree?”

“This… probably not? Besides, this is a romantic rival!”

“I also think it doesn’t count. This is a romantic rival.”

“Mm, so it doesn’t count?”

“Mm…”

…

Xu Pingran’s fingers pressed coldly against Yelu Qi’s throat.

Yelu Qi closed his eyes.

Those fingers were so cold—that was the feeling of snow mountains. He hated this bone-deep cold. In life’s final moment, what he most wanted to encounter was that woman’s fire-like warmth, even passion.

Hengbo.

May you be well, enjoy a peaceful world under heaven, and raise Dige’s new flag. From now on, may blood and dust, ruins and bones have nothing to do with you.

White vapor flashed at her fingertip.

“Boom.”

A tremendous crash—the wall hole broke again. Xu Pingran spun around in shock and fury, never expecting there to be another space next door, never expecting someone had been secretly watching her without her notice.

At a glance, she saw a white-clothed figure flash by like a startled swan.

Gong Yin?

Xu Pingran was stunned, immediately withdrawing her hand. Just as she was about to leap in pursuit, she suddenly had a thought and turned to glance at Yelu Qi.

He was breathing with eyes slightly closed. Xu Pingran’s gaze swept over his entire body, slightly surprised at this man’s excellent bone structure.

Various experiments in the snow mountains needed such rare good bone structure…

She grabbed him up, and with a flash, had already emerged from the hole, pursuing the white-clothed figure directly.

With another thunderous crash, the tower broke open with another large hole. First a white shadow flashed, then Xu Pingran pursued, still grasping someone in her hand.

Xu Pingran, while in mid-air, had already let out a strange whistle, seemingly summoning something.

From the highest point, Jing Hengbo had already seen this. She gestured orders for Pei Shu below to immediately intercept while preparing to personally descend the city in pursuit.

Suddenly she saw Mingcheng make a movement.