Though Yuan Lu still couldn’t rise, black curse runes danced at his fingertips. As star lines flickered, he raised several Heavenly Wall Guardians to block the blood-colored snakes outside.

Sweat seeped from his temples as he inwardly exclaimed how dangerous it was. Hearing Cui Yaocen’s screams, he knew how painful even a single bite from these creatures would be.

Just as Yuan Lu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard cracking sounds, and his face changed drastically.

These virtual manifestation blood-colored snakes could devour star power, and were now biting through his Heavenly Wall Guardian barrier.

Now was not the time to relax—if he didn’t move quickly, he might truly die.

Lightning flashed around Yuan Lu’s body as he forcibly broke through Ming Li’s channeled Qi incantation suppression, pushing himself up with both hands to flee.

The blood-colored snakes rushing toward Yuan Lu were only a portion, far fewer than those attacking Shu Sheng.

Within the Imperial Capital’s protective formation, pairs of black Celestial Eyes restricted Shu Sheng from drawing star power in this area. Though Fang Hui wanted to stop Shu Sheng from acting, he couldn’t.

Shu Sheng immobilized Fang Hui and said to Chang Xi: “If you think you can use a formation to restrict me, or even kill me, aren’t you being a bit fanciful?”

Chang Xi knew Shu Sheng’s divine miracle ability originated from the Channeled Qi Meridian’s Myriad Methods, which could control and suppress others’ Channeled Qi Meridian.

The strength of the Eight Meridians Formation Technique was inseparably linked to the Channeled Qi Meridian.

Though the protective formation’s erupting power seemed fierce, in Shu Sheng’s eyes, it was merely a child throwing a tantrum—nothing to fear.

Chang Xi didn’t respond. The moment she moved, all channeled Qi incantations within the formation were nullified by Shu Sheng.

Her flash movement speed appeared turtle-slow in Shu Sheng’s eyes. He could calmly predict and counter without feeling any sense of crisis.

But even knowing she couldn’t win, Chang Xi couldn’t stop venting the anger in her heart.

Shu Sheng’s Annihilation crushed all of Chang Xi’s spiritual techniques, his five fingers gripping the young girl’s slender neck.

Blood seeped from the corner of Fang Hui’s mouth. Even exerting all his strength, pushing his star meridians to their limits, he couldn’t break Shu Sheng’s binding formation.

He didn’t want to watch helplessly as Chang Xi died in Shu Sheng’s hands, yet he could do nothing, experiencing such utter despair for the first time in his life.

The blood-colored snakes swarmed forward. Even before touching Shu Sheng, they began devouring his star power. Realizing this, Shu Sheng still didn’t release Chang Xi, but instead knocked her unconscious and threw her toward Fang Hui.

Fang Hui, freed from the binding formation, moved with utmost speed to catch Princess Chang Xi.

Creation and Destruction continuously shredded the oncoming snakes, but Shu Sheng felt his star power constantly draining. He released channeled Qi incantations one after another to shatter the Celestial Eyes in the protective formation. Looking up, he saw Ming Li on the palace wall, turning sideways to look at him.

The third star line rose as Ming Li drew blood droplets. The dual mirrors reflected and amplified them, and blood-colored snakes burst forth from the droplets, darkening the sky.

Blood drops fell on the red plum blossoms, causing thousands of plum trees in the palace to shed their flowers. The dancing petals transformed into blood-colored snakes.

Shu Sheng failed to notice the falling plum blossoms. Countless snakes bit his clothes and hair, their collective hissing like some strange incantation, carrying an indescribable eeriness that filled people with unease.

Yuan Lu turned to see Shu Sheng surrounded and devoured by snakes from all directions. Shocked but somewhat relieved, he thought: Thankfully, they’re targeting Shu Sheng, not me.

But just as he tried to escape, the person who had been on the palace wall instantly appeared before him.

Yuan Lu’s heart tightened, and he said somewhat awkwardly: “I wasn’t involved in what happened to your junior brother. I was just watching.”

Ming Li said softly: “So you don’t know where he is?”

Yuan Lu opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Ming Li continued: “Then what’s the point of you living?”

Ming Li’s lightning fist moved too quickly for Yuan Lu to see. Like Cui Yaocen, he was controlled by fear, no longer composed or confident, constantly asking himself: Can I dodge the next one?

Yuan Lu only had time to hear the sound of dual mirrors. His eyes frantically searched for where they appeared, but by the time he located them, Ming Li was already before him.

The first punch!

Yuan Lu could only defend as the sound of his star power protective barrier shattering echoed in his ears.

The third punch!

“Wait! I know something about the Phantom Wanderers and your junior brother—” Yuan Lu tried to bargain with Ming Li, genuinely feeling the fear of death.

But Ming Li said, “I don’t want to hear it.”

She seemed never to listen to conditions from those she intended to kill.

The snakes devoured Yuan Lu’s star power, leaving him without the extra strength to use the Myriad Gods Body again, unable to withstand Ming Li’s lightning punches one after another.

As lightning flashed amid the blood-red haze, someone was knocked flying by who knows which punch. Star power tore through the palace wall as Yuan Lu slid down, leaving a trail of blood.

Ming Li’s final punch shattered half of Yuan Lu’s head—perhaps this was the price for his fondness for watching others’ misfortunes.

Cui Yaocen had been devoured by the snakes to the point of being unrecognizable. The dark, heavy palace walls were stained with blood that continued to spread.

The sharp sound of natural energy flow from behind made Ming Li turn to look. Dawn was obscured by the blood-colored snakes, the wind and snow detouring around them. Shu Sheng, who had broken out of the snakes’ encirclement, had half his body stained with blood, his clothes torn, revealing an upper body covered with bite wounds.

Shu Sheng grabbed Fang Hui, who was holding Chang Xi, and stood atop the palace. Countless star lines moved beneath his feet.

“It seems Dong Yeshou’s matter has angered you greatly,” Shu Sheng said calmly.

Ming Li slowly raised her head.

Shu Sheng continued: “If you were willing to follow the Divine Oracle’s wishes, willing to join us in creating a world with only the Eight Meridians, he wouldn’t have died.”

Ming Li’s gaze passed through that white mask, fixing on the person beneath: “After today, I will let you know who decides the future of this world.”

“Unfortunately, you’ve acted too late,” Shu Sheng shook his head regretfully, his words carrying an eerie meaning. “Soon, all Earth Ghosts in the world will die, including you who has awakened the Life Meridian.”

“From then on, the Ancient Continent will never have the Life Meridian again.”

The star lines beneath Shu Sheng’s feet took form. When the light burst forth, the formation instantly transported him away with Fang Hui and Chang Xi.

Ming Li looked at the snakes filling the sky, her grip on the sound-transmitting stone tightening, causing a small crack to appear.

The sound stone recorded the teleportation formation setup. One key point Xiang An’ge understood about teleportation formations was the need to connect star power between this side and the other. To be safe, the sound stone given to Ming Li not only recorded formation details but also allowed connection through the stone’s star power in case of errors.

Star lines surrounded Ming Li, with countless black curse runes moving along them.

After Ming Li left, the blood-red haze obscuring the Imperial Capital dissipated, revealing that daylight had arrived unnoticed.

*

Xiang An’ge’s teleportation formation landed at Starlight Academy. Upon arrival, everyone had no time to marvel at the successful teleportation—everything in sight was covered with layers of frost.

Ice dragons roared and moved through the night sky, creating a scene that seemed like the world was about to collapse.

Xiang An’ge looked at the ice dragons in the sky, somewhat surprised. This was his first time seeing virtual manifestations achieved at such a level.

Chen Zhou heard the sound of flames crackling and slowly turned to look. In his master’s room, only the fireplace with roasting sweet potatoes remained unfrosted, still burning hot.

Dong Yeyun silently walked into the room and picked up a persimmon that had fallen to the ground.

Seeing the persimmon Dong Yeyun had picked up, Qing Ying could imagine how hastily her master had left.

Ice dragons guarded each entrance to Bei Dou, their black vertical pupils exuding supreme pressure.

Ming Li appeared at Bei Dou’s mountain gate. What met her eyes was not ground littered with corpses, but the gaze of the massive ice dragon guarding the gate.

The ice dragons circling in the sky seemed to sense something and looked toward the children at the mountain gate and in the courtyard.

Ming Li walked forward silently. Flying Snow and Roaming Dragons was her father’s most skilled spiritual technique.

The ice dragon stared at her.

Ming Li met those black vertical pupils, her fingertips moving slightly, about to raise her hand—but the ice dragon turned away, looking back toward Bei Dou’s mountain gate.

The ice dragons that had paused in the sky also resumed their patrolling movements, only because they confirmed the sudden appearance was not an enemy.

Dong Yeshou’s final consciousness left in this world was merely to protect Bei Dou’s safety, to prevent further deaths.

And Ming Li’s outstretched hand touched only the flying snow.

*

Eastern Yang was unlike other places. Winter there was too short, and seeing snow depended on heaven’s whim. It snowed perhaps once every four or five years, and truly only once each time.

But Eastern Yang’s winters always brought continuous downpours.

Outside, the torrential rain’s roar drowned out even voices. In the pitch-black night of the mountain forest, one couldn’t see their fingers, hearing only the sound of branches and leaves being pounded by heavy rain.

Night travelers stopped at a small, dilapidated cabin in the mountains due to the downpour, watching that fleeting Mars Star in the black night sky from beneath the dripping eaves.

“That direction is north, right?” Cheng Jingbai asked.

“Hmm?” Zhou Xiang, unable to hear clearly because of the rain, turned to look at him.

Cheng Jingbai patted Lin Xiao’s shoulder, indicating he should set up a sound barrier to block out the rain noise.

Lin Xiao looked down at the man sitting on the ground and said, “Sound barrier.”

Song Tianyi, being ordered around, scratched his head and said reluctantly: “Don’t you all know how to do it?”

Lin Xiao said, “We don’t know as much as the Eastern Yang Sect Leader.”

Song Tianyi was forced to use his star power to set a sound barrier, finally bringing some quiet to their ears.

He wiped the rain that had splashed onto his face and stared blankly at the night sky.

Li Bushuo, standing beside Song Tianyi with his paper cover hiding his face, remained quiet, seemingly lost in thought as well.

Cheng Jingbai put his arm around Lin Xiao’s shoulder, twisting his body to look at Song Tianyi: “I say, Sect Leader Song, you’re the leader of a sect after all. Seeing the Mars Star appear, shouldn’t you say something?”

“Huh?” Song Tianyi looked over with confusion. “Say what?”

Cheng Jingbai: “…”

The Earth Ghosts looked at this young Eastern Yang Sect Leader, quite speechless.

Song Tianyi felt uncomfortable under their collective gaze, the hair all over his body nearly standing on end. He scratched his head, struggling to think what he should say: “My brother didn’t tell me when Bei Dou’s Starlight Academy Headmaster would break his boundary. Now that he has broken through, what should I say… my condolences?”

“With a sect leader like you, Eastern Yang can still function well and hasn’t been targeted by Shu Sheng and the Phantom Wanderers—it’s all because your brother wasn’t as strong as Ming Li and died early,” Cheng Jingbai remarked.

Song Tianyi shook his head repeatedly, thoroughly troubled: “If my brother hadn’t died, these matters wouldn’t be bothering me. I told my mother and the others about the Life Meridian, but none of them can remember it… Now I still have to find the missing Divine Martial… Sigh, why do these people always have so many things to do?”

The young Eastern Yang Sect Leader complained: “If they want to cause trouble, they should play their games. Why must they drag others down with them, turning people’s lives upside down?”

Song Tianyi truly detested those Phantom Wanderers. He only wanted to stay in Eastern Yang and mind his own business, but after his brother’s death, big and small matters all fell to him.

Now he even had to go out.

Ah, he really didn’t want to leave home.