Zhou Zixi looked at her and said, “Senior Sister.”

Ming Li covered her ear, indicating that she couldn’t hear him right now.

Zhou Zixi walked toward her and touched her earlobe. Her Thunderous Roar meridian had been injured, causing temporary deafness.

Cheng Jingbai and the others seemed to sense something and pointed at the unconscious Cui Yuanxi, “I’ll take this person away for you.”

Ming Li nodded.

Cui Yaocen was trapped in the mirage sea formed by a natural formation array. She wouldn’t be able to get out anytime soon, as her expertise wasn’t in the Eight Meridian Formation Arts. Moreover, this natural formation array had existed in Nan Que for thousands of years, fueled by endless stellar power.

By Ming Li’s estimation, without external help, Cui Yaocen wouldn’t be able to escape for several months.

After Cheng Jingbai and the others left, only Ming Li and a shadow invisible to others remained on the mountaintop.

Ming Li used the Bei Dou transmission talisman to send the news of Cui Yaocen being trapped in the mirage sea to Qu Zhuyue and the others. Before Zhou Zixi could praise her cleverness, she said, “I can’t kill her now, I can only trap her with the formation array. Without Cui Yaocen, Nan Que has suffered such heavy losses that it poses no threat by itself, but after tonight, all kinds of forces in the south will emerge. Leaving Nan Que won’t be easy.”

After all, Cui Yaocen was only trapped, not dead.

Nan Que had always been the foremost sect in the south. In recent years, Cui Yaocen had been aggressive in consolidating power among countless sects, with loyal forces spread throughout the entire southern region. Those loyal to her were only growing in number.

Today, Bei Dou and the Earth Ghosts had killed Nan Que’s people, but they couldn’t destroy Nan Que itself.

It was just like when Bei Dou was attacked years ago.

But Nan Que’s losses were heavier—a Supreme Divine Warrior, the Seven Stars Academy Master, plus countless disciples.

The southern Earth Ghosts brought in by the Jiang Clan were only focused on their killing spree.

“The other Pilgrims probably won’t interfere, but…”

They must know she’s still alive, and also know that she’s currently only at the Single Meridian Full Boundary.

Ye Yuanqing had seen that she was borrowing power from the natural formation array, and with Shi Fei and the Divine Wood Bow in Ming Li’s possession, fighting her in Nan Que would certainly be disadvantageous, so he left without hesitation.

Cui Yaocen had been blinded by rage and killing intent. Ming Li’s appearance had affected her state of mind, causing her to overlook certain details. Under normal circumstances, with her caution, it would have been difficult to trap her in the mirage sea.

Once Ming Li left Nan Que, without the enhancement from the natural formation array, the attitudes of other Pilgrims would be hard to predict.

At least for now, the focus of various forces was on her rather than Bei Dou, so she’d better not return to Bei Dou. Otherwise, if any faction harbored killing intent and decided to act, Bei Dou would inevitably be dragged into it again.

“I’ll go to the Boundless Nation first,” Ming Li said. “Xiang An’ge is most skilled in artifact techniques. I’ll ask him to switch Qing Ying and Jiang Ying’s star meridians and remove the puppet technique.”

These were things her current star meridian level couldn’t accomplish.

Zhou Zixi smiled. His Senior Sister was as calm as ever, having arranged everything.

“On the way, I can also look for traces of my brother, and Senior Brother…” Ming Li frowned and looked up at Zhou Zixi. “How were you able to lure away Cui Yaocen and Ye Yuanqing? Is it related to the Pilgrims? Wait until my Thunderous Roar meridian recovers to tell me.”

“Senior Sister, just forget about it.” Zhou Zixi withdrew his hand from her earlobe. “I have no intention of telling you.”

Ming Li felt the noise in her ears diminish. When she raised her hand, she touched her braid that had come undone during the fight. She thought that she should buy some hairpins or something to secure it after leaving, otherwise it would keep coming loose.

An explosion sounded in the distance. Ming Li turned to look—the southern Earth Ghosts were still causing trouble.

She stayed on the mountaintop, waiting for her Thunderous Roar meridian to recover. Zhou Zixi stood beside her, occasionally looking up at the flower branches. When Ming Li could hear again, she turned to look at Zhou Zixi.

Zhou Zixi asked, “Can you hear now?”

Ming Li nodded. “You…”

“It’s my turn to ask questions,” Zhou Zixi said. “When I arrived, I happened to hear Cui Yaocen say you had died. So you’ve become like this because you died once?”

He looked at Ming Li with a calm expression, his words clear and precise, seeking only the truth, without emotion.

Zhou Zixi had just been reborn, and his eyesight was getting worse. At such close distance, when looking at Ming Li, her face had already become blurry. He could only make out those eyes that were still gazing at him.

Ming Li thought she couldn’t avoid this. She was surprised that Zhou Zixi didn’t know she had died once. But thinking carefully, her junior brother had been trapped before she went to Bei Jing Gui Yuan. If no one had told him, then he, unable to escape, truly wouldn’t know about her death—perhaps when he was captured, he even thought his Senior Sister would come to rescue him.

If she had discovered earlier… many things wouldn’t be as they are now.

Ming Li lowered her gaze: “Five years ago, when war broke out on the northern border, led by the Youyou tribe, thirty-two tribal clans attacked Da Qin. Many cultivators in the north perished, and I also died in Bei Jing Gui Yuan.”

The northern region of the Tonggu Continent had been the domain of the Bei Dou Seven Sects for thousands of years. They had both the responsibility and the right to guard this land. Even the Da Qin army, upon entering the north, had to follow Bei Dou’s commands.

The four super sects each had their jurisdictions, not interfering with one another.

The tribes outside Bei Jing Gui Yuan had always coveted the inner city world, causing trouble periodically and fighting with the people of the inner city.

Bei Jing Gui Yuan was vast, with endless green plains stretching beyond sight.

Six hundred years ago, the outer tribes joined forces to attack the northern inner city, attempting to cross the northern border. They were united, and their attack was fierce. The Da Qin army at the border was annihilated in less than three days.

When the cultivators in the north arrived to block the outer tribes, a Heart Meridian expert from Bei Dou secretly infiltrated the northern border forces. Using unknown methods, he caused the thirty-two united tribes to become suspicious of each other, ultimately leading them to turn their blades on their companions one night, triggering internal strife.

The outer tribes were defeated by the northern cultivators due to this internal conflict and retreated in disarray. They hadn’t been able to end their internal strife for over six hundred years.

But five years ago, or perhaps even earlier, someone appeared who could lead the thirty-two tribes to cooperate once again.

Zhou Zixi asked, “Who killed you?”

He was so calm, so calm that not a hint of curiosity or confusion could be detected in his voice.

Ming Li thought for a moment and said, “Probably the Youyou tribe’s chief.”

“Probably?” Zhou Zixi furrowed his brows. “Senior Sister, how can you be uncertain about something like this?”

“There were many people at the time, several tribal priests and chiefs were present. A single person couldn’t have killed me, but they… were in a strange state.”

Ming Li didn’t elaborate much.

She casually glanced at the night sky, then looked back at Zhou Zixi with a smile, “Anyway, I’m alive now.”

Zhou Zixi: “You seem quite happy about it?”

Ming Li nodded: “Of course, I’m happy to be alive again.”

Zhou Zixi snorted. There was nothing happy about dying and coming back to life.

He said, “No wonder Bei Dou has fallen so low.”

Ming Li examined him carefully, finding no trace of sadness or anger in her junior brother’s eyes upon learning of her death, only understanding and calm after having his doubts resolved.

“You can contact Cheng Jingbai and the others, even persuade my father to cooperate with the Earth Ghosts, yet you never asked them about me?”

“Why would I ask about you?” Zhou Zixi looked at her strangely. “The fact that I’m an Earth Ghost is something I would have preferred you never knew, even until death.”

“If I wanted to die, I would do it myself. I wouldn’t trouble Senior Sister.”

He had painstakingly hidden this despicable and shameful identity; how could he voluntarily tell Ming Li?

Ming Li asked again, “Did Cui Yaocen or Ye Yuanqing ever mention it to you?”

Zhou Zixi smiled at her without speaking, his meaning clear: don’t try to pry information from me.

He insisted on “handling his affairs.”

Ming Li conceded: “Fine. Then how did you contact Cheng Jingbai and the others? Did you go to the Ice Desert originally for them?”

“Senior Sister, you shouldn’t try to know how Earth Ghosts communicate with each other,” Zhou Zixi said casually. “You’re not a Pilgrim now, knowing too much isn’t good for you. You should think about how to deal with the other Pilgrims next.”

But Ming Li asked, “Are you angry?”

“No,” Zhou Zixi said as he turned to leave, but Ming Li caught his arm. “What are you angry about?”

Zhou Zixi had intended to disappear directly, but seeing the star lines on the ground light up to block him, he turned back to look at Ming Li.

Ming Li said, “I may not know how Earth Ghosts communicate with each other, but I know very well how to prevent an Earth Ghost’s shadow from disappearing.”

Zhou Zixi laughed when he heard this. “Senior Sister, when I’m unhappy, I just want to kill people.”

His consistently cold and indifferent eyes imperceptibly took on a hint of murderous intent.

“You want to stop me? Try it.”

Ming Li slowly released her grip on him, and the shadow reflected in her eyes instantly vanished.

*

Near dawn, a black mist rose over Nan Que.

At first, it seemed just like a strange thin mist, but gradually it turned into burning flames, depriving those within of their vision. The wind blew the black mist about, and wherever it passed, screams echoed and blood flowed like rivers.

This black mist found the Ice Desert Earth Ghosts, who were still in the forest. As soon as Cheng Jingbai saw the appearance of this mist, he said, “I didn’t know she was your Senior Sister!”

The black mist gathered into a burning flame, and behind the flames, a vague human form could be seen, though distorted by the fire, making it impossible to discern its appearance.

Before Cheng Jingbai could see the black flame’s movement, he was struck and sent flying far away.

Zhou Xiang was picked up by the oilpaper sheath and thrown back. Lin Xiao averted his eyes, not looking at the unfortunate Cheng Jingbai.

Cheng Jingbai stood up with blood spilling from his mouth, struggling to explain: “The Boundless Mirror was shattered by her. You can’t expect me to block the Divine Killing Arrow, can you?”

The black flame was too fast. Those who got close would be affected by its overwhelming malice. Cheng Jingbai, feeling guilty towards him, couldn’t fight back, so he was brutally beaten one-sidedly.

Zhou Xiang, having opened her Heart Meridian to help, looked at the black flame and lost her courage, turning angrily to kick the unconscious Cui Yuanxi hard.

Lin Xiao sighed helplessly: “I told you we should have told him about Ming Li’s death.”

Zhou Xiang turned to look: “Isn’t he angry because we came for nothing and didn’t get the Boundless Mirror?”

The oilpaper sheath said: “No.”

Lin Xiao looked at the black flame and said softly: “He must have been living very well at Bei Dou, well enough to forget who he is.”

The black flame seemed to strike with lethal force, yet precisely controlled to avoid killing with a single blow.

Cheng Jingbai was beaten beyond recognition, his limbs broken, lying in a pool of blood with ringing ears and a dizzy brain. Through his blood-filled eyes, he vaguely glimpsed the burning fire in that extremely cold place, a field of black bones, the supreme being whose shadow was elongated and distorted in the firelight, and the young Zhou Zixi who had helped him escape—

His drifting consciousness was slapped back by Zhou Xiang.

“Hit a little harder and I’d be gone…” Cheng Jingbai coughed blood from his throat, saying weakly, “Thank you for your kindness in wanting me to live, but please don’t touch me.”

All of them were Earth Ghosts; whoever touched him would cause his death.

No one else spoke.

They quietly waited for Cheng Jingbai to bleed to death and then be reborn again.

Cheng Jingbai held his neck and slowly stood up, suddenly realizing something was wrong. He reached into the void and caught a transparent wind-stealing bird, his expression changing slightly.

Zhou Xiang and the others were also somewhat surprised.

“This is bad,” Cheng Jingbai crushed the wind-stealing bird and was about to leave Nan Que when, turning around, he found Ming Li emerging from the dense forest shadows, blocking his path.