The pressure of stellar power cascading from above made Chu Xiao struggle to breathe, her body trembling uncontrollably. The sudden howling snowstorm made the two figures standing on the palace wall appear immensely large and terrifying.

Chu Xiao could barely make out these two people.

The terrifying stellar pressure from the western wall alarmed the imperial guards. Lu Yi, who had been standing guard outside the study, immediately led a team to investigate.

Ming Li hadn’t expected to see an ordinary person here. In her eyes, Chu Xiao, who hadn’t even reached the full boundary of a single meridian, was essentially ordinary.

Yet this seemingly fragile, ordinary person was covered in blood. Thinking of the Wind Thief Bird that had disappeared here, Ming Li didn’t underestimate her.

Princess Chang Xi, however, stared at Chu Xiao below and said to Ming Li: “She is the Miss Chu that Liang Junxia has been looking for.”

Princess Chang Xi knew that the crystal disciple was from the Bei Dou Sect. Though she didn’t know why Ming Li had come here, she still passed along this information.

The intelligence came at the perfect time.

“So it’s her.”

Ming Li was somewhat surprised, and her gaze toward Chu Xiao took on a subtle change.

The snowstorm was too fierce, and the pressure made it impossible for Chu Xiao to look up, let alone examine the two people above carefully. She felt terrified—this was completely beyond her expectations.

This pressure alone could effortlessly end her life.

Survival instinct and fear of death made Chu Xiao struggle desperately. She secretly summoned Yao Chao, who had gone in pursuit of someone.

Yao Chao certainly couldn’t have imagined that after leaving for just a moment, the situation behind him would change so drastically.

Chu Xiao’s safety was paramount, so upon receiving her signal, he made a snap decision to abandon his pursuit of Xue Yin and head back toward Chu Xiao’s position.

The pressure coming from the palace wall was not to be taken lightly.

Chu Xiao had placed all her hopes on Yao Chao’s return, but suddenly she found the stellar pressure lifted. One of the figures from the high wall descended in a flash, landing before her.

Under the shadow of this black figure, the suddenly withdrawn pressure caused Chu Xiao’s knees to buckle, and she knelt on the ground.

She looked up urgently, finally getting a clear view of the person standing before her—someone she didn’t recognize, whom she had never seen in the imperial capital, who didn’t belong to any of the noble families she knew of, yet who possessed power enough to determine her life or death.

“Miss Chu,” the calm-faced young woman looked down at her and said, “Do you know where my brother is being held?”

Chu Xiao’s eyes widened instantly, unable to believe what she heard.

Princess Chang Xi, who had arrived a step behind, was also somewhat surprised.

Shu Sheng had told Ming Li that Dong Yeyun was imprisoned in the Earth Star Death Prison, with Emperor Wen Xiu’s tacit approval, and that he was being interrogated by the Fifth Prince, Chang Hanhe.

Now, Ming Li knew that Chu Xiao’s beloved was Chang Hanhe. Her appearance here tonight suggested she might also know something.

Thinking of this possibility, Ming Li couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Ming Li met Chu Xiao’s shocked gaze and continued: “My brother is the one who escorted you back to the imperial capital.”

Dong… Yun?

How could he have a sister with such powerful abilities?

In terms of stellar pressure alone, Dong Yeyun could also make her feel the pressure of life and death. Zhou Caicai could do it too, but these people had no reason to use it on her, and never had.

But Chu Xiao didn’t judge Ming Li’s dominance merely by her stellar pressure. Rather, it was that in a place like the imperial palace, the sister of an unknown traveler could act so unrestrained.

Even someone like Zhou Caicai had to exercise restraint, so what gave her the right to be so domineering?

Before Chu Xiao could process the information, the stellar pressure descended again.

Ming Li asked: “Where is he?”

Chu Xiao clutched her throat with both hands, blood beginning to show in her eyes.

She realized that if she didn’t speak, she would die!

Chu Xiao painfully extended her finger toward the black well behind her.

“So you did know.”

Ming Li’s ambiguous statement made Chu Xiao feel as though she had been run through with a sword.

But Ming Li didn’t linger to confront Chu Xiao further. Her only concern now was finding her brother, so she vanished in a flash toward the black well.

Chu Xiao felt the pressure withdraw and sighed in relief, but when she fearfully looked back, she saw black light walls rising from the ground, somber and majestic, connecting heaven and earth with their height, carrying an intense sense of oppression that blocked and repelled Ming Li.

The gust from the stellar power clash made Chu Xiao raise her hand for protection.

Countless black shadows descended from the sky, landing in front of the black well and forming a line. Their black and gold robes were speckled with snowflakes as the Chief Inspectors of the Martial Supervisory Alliance looked sternly at Ming Li.

Yao Chao, who had rushed back, was somewhat confused by the scene before him. What had happened? He had only been gone for a short while, and everything had been turned upside down when he returned.

Lu Yi came from the palace wall with the imperial guards. Their golden scale armor gleamed in the moonlight, with a squad of light cavalry at the front. Lu Yi protected Princess Chang Xi, shielding her from the gusts imbued with stellar power.

Chu Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Yao Chao return. As she gritted her teeth and stood up from the ground, she heard Princess Chang Xi behind her say, “Seize her.”

Again, the Martial Supervisory Alliance, and with the Commander of the Imperial Guards present, this young woman surely wouldn’t live much longer.

That’s what Chu Xiao thought, but just as she steadied herself, she found the imperial guards approaching her.

Why me?

Chu Xiao’s expression froze.

She hadn’t heard the conversation between Princess Chang Xi and Ming Li on the palace wall. Otherwise, she would have run as far away as possible by now.

Yao Chao appeared in a flash, shielding her behind him. He said to Lu Yi: “Commander Lu, perhaps you’ve arrested the wrong person.”

Lu Yi turned sideways and bowed to Princess Chang Xi behind him: “This is the Sixth Princess’s order, and also His Majesty’s command.”

Only then did Yao Chao notice Princess Chang Xi standing behind, and his expression changed slightly.

When Princess Chang Xi stepped forward, Chu Xiao’s expression showed traces of panic, though she tried her best to hide it and remain calm.

Why would Princess Chang Xi detain her?

Had she discovered something?

But that shouldn’t be possible!

Princess Chang Xi gazed at Chu Xiao’s trembling eyes and stepped forward.

In Lu Yi’s memory, the Sixth Princess was not a stern or cold person. She was innocent and lively, obedient and sensible. Even when someone made mistakes in front of her, they would receive gentle forgiveness.

Seeing her treat someone coldly like this was quite rare for Lu Yi and the others.

Yao Chao said, “Sixth Princess, this person is from the Duan family.”

Princess Chang Xi asked: “Is this Chu family member who poisoned my mother one of Fifth Brother’s people?”

Yao Chao truly didn’t know that Chu Xiao held this identity, and was momentarily stunned by Princess Chang Xi’s question.

Chu Xiao felt as though her blood was flowing backward, her face turning deathly pale. The snow and wind lifted her clothes and hair, the cold strands clinging to her equally cold cheeks, devoid of warmth.

“Did you not hear the Sixth Princess’s words?” Lu Yi turned to the imperial guards and said, “Seize her.”

“Wait!” As the imperial guards surrounded her, Yao Chao drew a star line in front of them. “Sixth Princess, is there some misunderstanding? Please wait for the Fifth Prince to arrive before taking action.”

Yao Chao had been ordered to protect Chu Xiao. Chang Hanhe intended to protect her safety unconditionally, so Yao Chao couldn’t allow Chu Xiao to be taken away by the imperial guards right under his nose.

As Yao Chao and the imperial guards came into conflict, several star lines suddenly appeared in front of Chu Xiao, forming a confinement array that trapped her within.

Yao Chao and the imperial guards looked forward simultaneously to see Ming Li, who had been repelled by the black walls of the Earth Star Death Prison, raising her hand to set the confinement array around Chu Xiao.

Trapped in the array, Chu Xiao turned her stiff neck to look in Ming Li’s direction. This didn’t seem… like an attempt to save her.

Lu Yi stepped forward and said solemnly to Ming Li: “Holy Ming, please abandon your attempt to enter the Earth Star Death Prison. Without His Majesty’s command, even you cannot take someone out of the Earth Star Death Prison.”

Holy Ming?

Bei Dou’s Holy Ming?

That resurrected pilgrim?

Chu Xiao had only just stood up and hadn’t felt such fear even when recognized by Princess Chang Xi, but now, meeting Ming Li’s cold gaze, she couldn’t help but collapse to the ground, trembling.

Snowflakes mixed with the specks of blood on her cheeks that she hadn’t had time to wipe away.

Her mind replayed Ming Li’s words:

—Do you know where my brother is being held?

—My brother is the one who escorted you back to the imperial capital.

Everyone knew that the youngest pilgrim on the continent had a father whose death-life realm could rival a pilgrim’s, but few remembered that she also had an elder brother.

Chu Xiao recalled once asking Dong Yun why he liked to travel the world yet chose to settle in the northern Seven Star City.

Dong Yun had answered that he liked to travel the world but also liked the north because the most formidable pilgrim was in the north.

Chu Xiao had asked: “Do you think she is the most formidable among the pilgrims?”

“Of course,” Dong Yun had said. “My friends think so too.”

Chu Xiao believed that the most formidable pilgrim in the world was Shu Sheng.

Perhaps they had been incompatible from the beginning.

Chu Xiao had abandoned Dong Yeyun and chosen to enter a world of power struggles.

Yet she had forgotten that on this continent, power was only held by a few strong individuals. Those with absolute strength would disregard the control and threats of power.

But she could never have imagined that she had once been so close to someone who stood at the pinnacle of the world.

Chu Xiao collapsed instantly, lying on the ground with a ghastly pale face, somewhat at a loss. Her gaze moved past Ming Li toward the black well beyond the black walls. The person imprisoned down there was actually from the Yantai Dong Ye clan, the son of Dong Yeshou, the elder brother of the Bei Dou pilgrim.

*

The stellar pressure outside the western wall was sensed by people near the imperial palace. Subsequently, the black walls of the Earth Star Death Prison rising to connect with the sky could be seen even by those far away in the imperial capital.

The Crown Prince had just finished bathing and changing clothes when he sensed the pressure from afar. Standing by the window, he could see the rows of black walls in the distance, exuding an intense sense of oppression even through the snowstorm. Even from such a distance, it still made people uncomfortable.

A’Nu entered from outside.

The Crown Prince looked at him and asked: “What’s happening?”

“Holy Ming has trespassed into the Earth Star Death Prison. The Martial Supervisory Alliance and the imperial guards have been deployed,” A’Nu said. “The Sixth Princess has also gone there, but there’s no need to worry. Shu Sheng is also present.”

The Crown Prince indeed wasn’t concerned about these matters, nor was it his place to be concerned. He walked toward his bed, rubbed his eyes, and asked: “Can I play with Caicai tomorrow?”

A servant had just reported that Zhou Caicai had gone with someone to the Earth Star Death Prison area.

A’Nu lowered his head, not telling the Crown Prince: “As long as Your Highness wishes, you may.”

Hearing this, the Crown Prince happily curved his lips and picked up the paper cranes and frogs Zhou Caicai had folded for him before lying down.

A’Nu stood guard nearby.

*

Below the black well, it was dark and damp. There seemed to be water on the ground, and when rats crawled by, they made faint sounds. Because their companions who had ventured deeper into the darkness ahead had all gone without return, they didn’t dare go forward anymore.

The rats, agitated by hunger, suddenly found something falling to the ground. Blood flowed, and as the blood-drinking rats stepped on the hem of her dress and sleeves, lowering their heads to gnaw at this person’s fingertips, they were suddenly frozen in place by stellar power.

Life and death exchange.

The previously lively rats immediately fell.

The blood-covered person opened her eyes in the darkness, her five fingers painfully supporting her as she rose. Disgustedly, she waved away the rats still circling her, placing one hand on her yin-yang dual meridians to temporarily stop the bleeding and begin self-healing.

The Zhou family’s miraculous ability—Life and Death Exchange—could be used on any living creature. Zhou Caicai hadn’t practiced other spiritual techniques much, but she had diligently researched and practiced her family’s miraculous ability.

As long as she still had breath, even if her heart was shattered, as long as she wasn’t completely crushed and still had a thread of stellar power circulating, she could perform the exchange.

Unfortunately, her miraculous ability was ineffective against Chu Xiao. Fortunately, before she completely died, there were rats down here actively approaching her.

Compared to her brother Zhou Yi, Zhou Caicai frequently practiced Life and Death Exchange, often walking on the edge between life and death. The Zhou family head had once been furious about this, reprimanding her for not valuing her own life and acting without considering accidents.

But Zhou Caicai was merely curious about the limits and uses of her family’s miraculous ability. It was indeed the best life-saving technique, but if it were only used when facing danger, that would truly be “not considering accidents.” What if she wasn’t proficient enough and failed?

Thanks to her previous reckless practice, she was able to hold on until falling to the ground and encountering rats while still having breath left, despite being under a death-life realm killing technique.

The most fortunate thing was that the rats came to her on their own.

Before the time limit of the first Life and Death Exchange was reached, Zhou Caicai reached out to grab another living rat. Her weak voice echoed in the darkness of the well: “Thank you, brother rat, for saving my life.”

*

Tonight, Emperor Wen Xiu again sat on his couch watching the flying snow outside the window. The red plum blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom again. He opened his hand to look at the hair in his palm, which seemed to have whitened even more since yesterday.

Because Emperor Wen Xiu didn’t like to see snow on the plum blossoms, palace maids in the courtyard continuously cleared the accumulated snow from the plum branches day and night during winter.

The Fifth Prince Chang Hanhe had come tonight for his regular report on court affairs to Emperor Wen Xiu, seeking his approval.

When he arrived, everything outside was still fine.

Until Lu Yi left his post at the door, taking a large contingent of imperial guards with him.

Chang Hanhe frowned, looking outside, and bowed to Emperor Wen Xiu: “Father, allow me to go and see what’s happening.”

“Stay and talk with me a while longer,” Emperor Wen Xiu said instead. “My days are numbered.”

Chang Hanhe, who had risen to his feet, sat back down: “Father, please don’t speak like that.”

Emperor Wen Xiu smiled, his back to Chang Hanhe as he said softly: “If there were a spiritual technique or miraculous ability that could make people speak the truth, do you think it would make us father and son more honest with each other?”

Chang Hanhe felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing this.

“Hanhe,” Emperor Wen Xiu affectionately used the young man’s name, “Is the Crown Prince I have appointed not to your liking?”

Chang Hanhe’s brows furrowed slightly, his lowered eyes flickering. He sat quietly on the cushion. The Crown Prince had once sat in the same position, quietly looking at the red plum blossoms and white snow outside the window, but he was looking at Emperor Wen Xiu’s back instead.

“Your son indeed doesn’t quite understand.”

Chang Hanhe said softly, “But since this is Father’s decision, your son has no right to interfere.”

“It was wrong of me to let you think that eliminating Pingshan would make you the Crown Prince.”

Emperor Wen Xiu clenched his fingers and placed them at his lips, coughing lightly to hide his smile. He didn’t need to turn around to imagine the shock in Chang Hanhe’s trembling eyes at this moment.

“But I will give you a chance.” As Emperor Wen Xiu said this, someone came to report from outside, “Your Majesty, the Fifth Princess has discovered the Chu family orphan who poisoned Her Majesty the Empress at the western palace wall. Commander Lu encountered resistance when attempting to capture her.”

Chang Hanhe turned to look, his hands clenched into fists within his sleeves, blue veins showing at his temples.

“Although Chang Xi doesn’t say it outwardly, she is very concerned about the existence of the person who killed the Empress,” Emperor Wen Xiu sighed. “But this woman is also someone you care for. I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked to conceal your identity for her all these years, and I’ve helped quite a bit, ensuring that Chang Xi didn’t discover it.”

“But now that Chang Xi knows, it can no longer be concealed.”

Chang Hanhe’s face appeared expressionless, but his nails had dug into his flesh, and his pupils contracted.

Emperor Wen Xiu’s helping to conceal Chu Xiao’s existence was something Chang Hanhe had never imagined. Yet after hearing him admit it personally, he recalled his past lucky breaks, which now seemed to have been premeditated all along.

“This isn’t fair to Chang Xi either,” Emperor Wen Xiu continued unhurriedly. “I may die tomorrow or the day after, and this empire will still be yours. You give your beloved woman to Chang Xi to appease her anger, and I will give you the position of Crown Prince. How does that sound?”

Before Chang Hanhe could think about it, Emperor Wen Xiu added, “Don’t think about waiting until after my death to make a decision. It will be too late by then. And don’t think about killing the Crown Prince. Only the one who becomes Crown Prince will receive my protection and that of Shu Sheng, and thus survive.”

“Hanhe, do you want your beloved woman, or the position of Crown Prince that you’ve worked toward for over a decade?”

Emperor Wen Xiu turned his gaze toward the Fifth Prince behind him. His eyes curved upward with irrepressible delight. Even as a dying man, he was still enjoying himself immensely.

He had raised this child for over twenty years, cultivating his ambition from a young age, giving him hope and then repeatedly neglecting him, making him yearn for his favor and work hard for it.

Perhaps Chang Hanhe had done too well, following everything as he had anticipated, which made Emperor Wen Xiu find him somewhat boring.

What a boring child.

Until Chu Xiao returned to the imperial capital, to Chang Hanhe’s side.

Emperor Wen Xiu finally found something interesting about Chang Hanhe.

The door was opened from outside, with imperial guards waiting outside for those within.

Emperor Wen Xiu said, “If Chu Xiao dies, then the Crown Prince dies.”

Chang Hanhe was about to obtain what he had longed for.

All he had to do was abandon Chu Xiao.

*

The black walls of the Earth Star Death Prison connected heaven and earth, arranged in circular rows surrounding the black well. The pressure emanating from them was comparable to that of a pilgrim, targeting only Ming Li.

Shu Sheng had said that if Ming Li tried to go to the Earth Star Death Prison to find someone without Emperor Wen Xiu’s command, it would provoke him to act.

These towering star walls were the first measure to stop Ming Li.

Shu Sheng hadn’t even appeared in person yet.

The pilgrims who had previously engaged with Ming Li had all failed to use their full strength for various reasons. Compared to Ming Li, who hadn’t yet broken through, they had a huge advantage.

Ming Li could find weaknesses in others, but she currently had no way to deal with Shu Sheng.

What was Shu Sheng’s weakness? She hadn’t been able to discover it before.

But this couldn’t stop Ming Li’s determination to go to the Earth Star Death Prison to find Dong Yeyun.

Chen Zhou and the northern foreigners on the streets of the imperial capital all looked toward the towering star walls in the distance. Everyone could see that Shu Sheng had made his move.

The Youyou tribe warrior Mingtu, carrying a wine jar, shook his head and turned his gaze back to Chen Zhou: “She shouldn’t have chosen to go there first.”

Just as he finished speaking, from the corner of his eye, he saw his companions standing not far away suddenly disappear. The accumulated snow on the street was gone, yet snowflakes continued to fall from the sky.

The Divine Brilliance Illusion.

At some point, Mingtu had already entered the realm of illusion.

Chen Zhou still stood in his original position. Regarding Mingtu’s vigilant gaze, he raised an eyebrow: “I’m not very interested in peering into others’ deep abysses of pain.”

“But if it’s you, I’ll make an exception and take a look.”

Mingtu gathered his wits, concentrating the power of his spiritual court meridian on himself, but was still drawn into memories by the other’s heart meridian power.

On the verdant plains, a great fire engulfed the tents behind, swallowing those fleeing into its midst. The sound of breaking bones was like flames consuming branches—before Chen Zhou could see deeper, Mingtu had already activated the spiritual court meridian’s high-level technique, Self-Control, severing the connection between his five senses and his star meridians, thereby also blocking the Divine Brilliance Illusion.

Mingtu returned from the burning plains to the snow-covered street, but as a consequence, his eyes turned gray, and he was unable to move, temporarily unable to regain self-awareness.

With a wave of Chen Zhou’s hand, slender green leaves hovering in the air flipped over like sharp blades, heading toward Mingtu with a whistling sound.

The Divine Brilliance Illusion had temporarily trapped the others, and only Mingtu had broken free from the technique first, yet he couldn’t move. This should have been a fatal strike, but a white figure flashed forward to intercept it.

The woman, with snow-white hair matching her complexion, grabbed several form-shaped threads to entangle the murderous green leaves. One of the Youyou tribe warriors, Mingshui, opened her white eyes to look at Chen Zhou and said coldly: “You’re not the only person here with a heart meridian at the divine brilliance realm.”

The entrapped green leaves turned, glowing with a faint light that shone into Chen Zhou’s dark eyes, forming a stark contrast with the dazzling white before him.

The northern foreigners previously trapped in the Divine Brilliance Illusion were freed by Mingshui, each on guard, forming a stellar pressure that dissolved the falling snow midway. Mingshui waved her hand in front of Mingtu’s eyes, clearing the negative effects of the Self-Control technique with her yin-yang dual meridians’ healing art.

Chen Zhou still appeared lazy and relaxed, even taking the time to praise the opponent: “A heart meridian at the divine brilliance realm, and skilled in the high-level healing arts of the yin-yang dual meridians—your Youyou tribe’s cultivation is quite impressive.”

Mingtu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; his vigilance toward Chen Zhou was much higher than before. Hearing these words only made him feel mocked. Moreover, Chen Zhou had just peered into the depths of his fear, which angered him somewhat. He sneered: “The others are irrelevant. Kill him.”

Transparent water clusters appeared out of nowhere, like snow falling from the sky, but even more densely packed, blocking the moonlight above and bearing murderous intent as they descended toward Chen Zhou below.

Chen Zhou’s fingertips moved slightly, about to act, when a clear bell sound rang out.

The northern foreigners who had been standing on the street wall suddenly fell, facing upward as they descended, their already gray eyes reflecting in disbelief the black shadow that had replaced them on the street wall.

This person raised their hand, the bell on their wrist trembling, revealing a small green cherry blossom turning inside the bell. The bell’s sound waves swept across the entire street, precisely shattering the water clusters of the etherealized objects.

Resonant meridian high-level technique: Earth Divine Sound Kill.

It would pursue and destroy all sounds within range, and now the sound of everyone’s heartbeats below was also within the killing range. Mingtu, Mingshui, and the others’ expressions changed instantly, each flashing away to retreat. The northern foreigners who had been attacking Chen Zhou all changed direction, trying to get as far away from him as possible.

The snow and wind blew at the black figure standing on the street wall, making their clothes and hair flutter. The cold wind carrying stellar power buffeted them, causing their cloak hood to slide off. Qing Ying raised her chin at the northern foreigners below and said crisply: “So many people attacking my senior brother alone—you northerners have no shame.”