Cui Yaocen, concerned about her brother Cui Yuanxi’s whereabouts, rushed straight to Bei Dou after hearing from Yuan Lu that he was there.

Yuan Lu followed to watch the excitement. He had been bored lately, having traveled everywhere north and south. Suddenly, an old friend returning with fighting and commotion—he found it quite entertaining.

But he hadn’t expected Shu Sheng would come too.

“I casually mentioned bringing you to unseal the Mirage Sea, didn’t expect you’d come,” Yuan Lu said, leading his black horse along the night forest path. Further up was the entrance to Bei Dou.

He turned to look at the white-faced scholar beside him and asked: “I came to Bei Dou to watch the excitement. Did you come for the same reason?”

“I came to find someone,” Shu Sheng said, “I heard he became a Nan Que disciple, so I’m also helping him rescue his sect master.”

“Oh?” Yuan Lu asked curiously, “Someone of yours became a Nan Que disciple? Who?”

Shu Sheng smiled: “A rebellious one, difficult to discipline.”

Yuan Lu asked again: “Then why come to Bei Dou to find him?”

Shu Sheng raised his head to look at the mountain path ahead. A cyan figure stood in the middle of the road with two black-faced spirit substitutes standing beside him.

Cui Yaocen, walking at the front, stopped and looked at Xiang An’ge who blocked the path, asking coldly: “What do you mean by this?”

Xiang An’ge said, “Your brother is with me.”

Cui Yaocen frowned, turning to look at Yuan Lu, who hid behind Shu Sheng, rubbing his head while glaring at Xiang An’ge: “Aren’t you the one who doesn’t wade into troubled waters or watch drama?”

Xiang An’ge lazily looked down at the three: “I’m afraid if you keep killing, it’ll be my turn next.”

Yuan Lu deliberately frightened him: “That’s possible.”

Shu Sheng said, “I didn’t come to Bei Dou for fighting and killing.”

Yuan Lu raised his hand: “I also came just to watch the excitement, to see her take action.”

Cui Yaocen looked back at Xiang An’ge: “At this point, you still want me to back down?”

“You can do whatever you want, but only after she returns,” Xiang An’ge said. “Taking advantage of someone’s vulnerability—doing that too often isn’t good.”

Cui Yaocen’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this. “You didn’t come out before Bei Dou’s crisis, and now you’re playing the good person?”

Xiang An’ge showed no anger after hearing this, his demeanor relaxed as he casually replied: “Before, it was Bei Dou’s own business, nothing to do with me. Now, three Pilgrims have come to force someone to break through. As a fellow Pilgrim, I find it somewhat objectionable.”

Cui Yaocen drew her sword: “The blood feud between my Nan Que, Bei Dou, and Ming Li can only end in death.”

The Pilgrim’s aura released, Xiang An’ge stood motionless, still blocking the way. The pressure from both sides’ star power collided, startling countless birds in the forest.

“Oh my!” Yuan Lu held up both hands, retreating as he said, “You’re going to fight?”

Shu Sheng said, “Then let’s wait until Ming Li returns.”

Cui Yaocen frowned as Shu Sheng continued: “With him blocking, you can’t enter Bei Dou. Besides, your brother is indeed in his hands. If Xiang An’ge threatens you with your brother, you’d be in a difficult position.”

“He wouldn’t dare!” Cui Yaocen glared at Xiang An’ge.

Xiang An’ge raised an eyebrow: “Shu Sheng has reminded me—if you insist on fighting me, you should consider your brother’s safety.”

By now, Cui Yaocen was desperate to strike him twice with her sword, but didn’t dare to make a move.

Just then, several figures appeared at Bei Dou’s entrance. At the front was the Bei Dou Gleaming Light Academy Master, followed by two young men—Cui Yaocen’s disciple and a Nan Que disciple.

Cui Yaocen’s gaze passed over Dong Yeshou to the young man behind him. With furrowed brows, she commanded: “Qian Li, come here.”

After months of separation, both young men seemed to have grown taller. Qian Li rubbed his nose, somewhat embarrassed, but sheepishly walked over to Cui Yaocen.

Dong Yeshou didn’t try to stop him.

Fang Hui, looking at Shu Sheng below, didn’t want to move.

Cui Yaocen asked sternly: “Why are you in Bei Dou?”

Before Qian Li could answer, Shu Sheng had already spoken gently: “Your disciple is quite capable. When you were trapped in the Mirage Sea, he stabilized the situation in Nan Que and eliminated the Jiang family for you.”

Cui Yaocen was somewhat surprised to hear this, and her gaze toward Qian Li became considerably gentler.

“Master,” Qian Li smiled up at her. “I thought you wouldn’t be out for a while longer, so I accompanied Fang Hui on a trip to Bei Dou.”

Only then did Shu Sheng look up at Fang Hui standing by the entrance.

Yuan Lu rubbed his chin, also looking at Fang Hui: “At this age, he’s either your son or your disciple. Pick one. Or maybe brother? Nephew? No, you’re an orphan, so those options are out.”

Dong Yeshou hadn’t expected Xiang An’ge would come. Standing at the entrance, looking down at several of the continent’s top supreme cultivators, he asked Fang Hui beside him softly, “You’ve gotten what you wanted, why not leave?”

Fang Hui said, “He’s right—there’s no one in this world who can heal my Star Meridian, that’s why I find him very annoying.”

Dong Yeshou smiled slightly: “I have no intention of keeping you here.”

He let these two young men enter Bei Dou, firstly because they had no malicious intent, and secondly because he wanted to hear about their connection to Ming Li.

Fang Hui’s hand, hidden in his sleeve, tightened then loosened. Head lowered, unwilling to look at Shu Sheng again, he slowly walked down.

Shu Sheng waited until he reached his side before saying, “Time to go home.”

Qian Li secretly glanced at Fang Hui, but saw his expressionless face, showing neither joy nor anger.

“Since I’ve found the person, I’ll be leaving now,” Shu Sheng said, looking at Dong Yeshou. His white face concealed all his emotions; one could only hear his gentle voice saying, “Thank you for taking care of him.”

Dong Yeshou didn’t reply.

But Shu Sheng truly turned to leave with Fang Hui.

Yuan Lu looked at the departing Shu Sheng, then at the sword-bearing Cui Yaocen, rubbing his nose: “No show to watch, so I’ll leave too.”

Cui Yaocen laughed coldly: “Get out of here quickly. If not for your lies, would I have come here?”

Yuan Lu snorted: “As if you wouldn’t have come had I not deceived you.”

Cui Yaocen said, “You can forget about setting foot in the south for the next decade.”

“That’s too much!” Yuan Lu exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.

Cui Yaocen coldly looked at Dong Yeshou at the entrance. Before she could speak, Qian Li whispered: “Master… I think we should return to the south first. Although I temporarily suppressed the Jiang family’s momentum, they’ve been in frequent contact with several sects recently, still not giving up. They want to completely swallow Nan Que before you emerge.”

These words successfully shook Cui Yaocen’s resolve. She looked at Xiang An’ge again, who spoke before she could ask: “Of course I won’t kill your brother.”

So he was still alive.

Which was more important, Cui Yuanxi or Nan Que? Both were quite important to her, but if forced to compare, Cui Yaocen chose Nan Que.

Shu Sheng truly came just to find someone. Yuan Lu might not act. Xiang An’ge was blocking her, plus Dong Yeshou—this trip was very unprofitable for Cui Yaocen.

After weighing the options, Cui Yaocen decided to return first to stabilize Nan Que.

“Let’s go,” Cui Yaocen said to Qian Li.

As Qian Li left, he looked back at Bei Dou. Dong Yeshou was still standing there, his gaze neither sad nor joyful, scholarly and gentle.

He recalled his previous conversation with Dong Yeshou.

It was about Zhou Zixi.

Initially, he thanked Ming Li for the Divine Kill Arrow that saved him and his mother years ago. Later, he learned that the beautiful sister who spoke with his mother was a member of the Zhao clan, making her a fellow clanswoman, an elder sister.

Qian Li suddenly realized that perhaps Ming Li had helped him because of her junior sister Qing Ying.

Then the two discussed the disciple who gave him the Seven Star Token. Qian Li said, “I don’t even know when the Seven Star Token disappeared. Did Ming Li take it back for her junior brother?”

Dong Yeshou said, “It was already broken, on the night you entered the mountain for the challenge.”

Qian Li couldn’t possibly forget what happened that night, but he had no memory of the Seven Star Token breaking.

He scratched his head: “Then perhaps the Jiang family accidentally broke it when I was unconscious. When a Seven Star Token breaks, someone must respond to the summons. Did someone from Bei Dou come that night?”

Qian Li knew nothing about this; no one had told him.

Dong Yeshou said, “Someone went and left after your master arrived.”

This meant that if not for the timely arrival of the Bei Dou disciple who intervened, he would have been taken back to the Jiang family or died.

Qian Li was silent for a moment, then looked up with a serious expression: “I have a question I want to ask, Senior.”

Dong Yeshou was brewing tea, his attitude casual: “Go ahead.”

Qian Li asked: “Did you know that Zhou Zixi is an Earth Ghost?”

Dong Yeshou: “First time hearing about it.”

Qian Li was suspicious: “Your reaction doesn’t seem like it.”

Dong Yeshou smiled: “What reaction do you think I should have?”

Qian Li said: “Then let me phrase it differently—after knowing he’s an Earth Ghost, what would you do?”

Dong Yeshou poured tea: “Personally, neither I nor Bei Dou have ever had a rule against accepting Earth Ghosts as disciples.”

This answer surprised Qian Li for a long time. He could feel the tea in his cup gradually cooling as he held it.

After a long while, he finally said, “Earth Ghosts just pretend to be human.”

Because of Sui Qiu San, Qian Li simply didn’t believe that Earth Ghosts in this world could possess genuine feelings.

Earth Ghosts were all cold-blooded, heartless beasts wearing human skin.

They all deserved to die.

*

More and more cultivators rushed to the Heavenly Pit.

The news of Ye Yuanqing’s severe injuries and death spread wider. Tai Yi would do everything to avenge him, even if the opponent was once a Pilgrim.

The three major merchant guilds had been observing and discussing since Ye Yuanqing ordered Tai Yi’s Seven Stars to kill Ming Li. The two sides would inevitably clash. If Ye Yuanqing won, there would be no trouble.

But if Ye Yuanqing lost, they couldn’t let Ming Li leave the west.

Because of the Heavenly Pit incident, Bei Dou would implicate the merchant guilds. Ye Yuanqing was the master of the merchant guild and their protective umbrella. Having worked together for many years, they weren’t without some emotional attachment.

As long as Ming Li hadn’t broken through to become a Pilgrim again, they could all try their chances.

First, the Tai Yi Seven Stars, then Pilgrim Ye Yuanqing—her previous battles must have depleted most of her star power. Now her enemies only grew in number, not fewer, and their cultivation levels only stronger, not weaker. The battle advantage wasn’t on Ming Li’s side.

In the past, there had been incidents where multiple people surrounded and killed a Pilgrim.

The continent’s top experts, though at the peak of eight meridians, weren’t immortal.

Ming Li’s severe depletion was better understood by her several Bei Dou senior brothers than by the Western cultivators. Earlier, as she walked behind them, Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask hadn’t said anything, but they guessed it was due to excessive use of spirit techniques in the Heavenly Pit.

After severing seven meridians, Ye Yuanqing’s Divine Miracle ability Heart Piercer from his concentrated Spiritual Court Meridian wasn’t easy to break.

Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask stood at the front, their blades and swords already bloodied, one fighting Tai Yi cultivators, the other battling merchant guild cultivators.

Black Fox Mask used his fox mask as a medium to cast the spirit technique Phantom Manifestation. His control over the Yang Meridian was incredibly precise. The scattered black shadows all wore the same fox mask, beheading all the merchant guild cultivators led by President Qing Chuan.

The speed was too fast, making it difficult to distinguish between real and fake phantom manifestations to find the true body.

As President Qing Chuan retreated instantly, two black shadows appeared on his left and right. Pale white blade edges, sharp, cut toward his throat.

He extended his hand, each of the five fingers holding a fingernail-sized crystal bead—high-grade Divine Weapons. The crystal beads were flung out, exploding into fragments in mid-air, slicing through the phantom manifestation’s black shadows.

The fragmented Divine Weapon beads were, coincidentally, the nemesis of phantom manifestations.

Those tiny crystal bead fragments glittered in the moonlight. This scene was dreamlike, yet tinged with bloodiness. The fragments seemed to invisibly and silently gather before the true body of the phantom manifestation. By the time Black Fox Mask noticed, countless tiny glowing fragments had already slashed across his cheek.

Chen Zhou’s Divine Crystal illusion extended to the Black Fox Mask. Flying leaves shattered the crystal beads. President Jin Can’s Wind Theft Bird flew out from the void, piercing through Black Fox Mask’s chest with lightning speed.

Though Black Fox Mask moved to shift his body, it should still have pierced his chest, causing severe injury. However, something under his clothes blocked this killing move—a Safety Talisman that fell to the ground burned to ashes along with the Wind Theft Bird.

This was a Safety Talisman given to him by Lady Li. She said she got it from a fortune teller by the roadside—ordinary, nothing special, just for peace of mind.

Black Fox Mask frowned, with no time to think too much, as President Jin Can’s next killing move had already arrived.

President Jin Can saw her Qi Circulation incantation pierce through Black Fox Mask’s brow. After watching him fall to the ground, she walked toward Ming Li at the back. Just as she passed by the fallen Black Fox Mask, from the corner of her eye, she saw him transform into several black snakes lunging at her.

A mocking low laugh sounded in her ear. President Jin Can’s expression changed instantly as she quickly retreated, suddenly realizing there was no one around her.

Divine Crystal illusion.

The Heart Meridian was the most difficult Star Meridian to awaken. Even if awakened to its peak, it was hard to cultivate to the Divine Crystal pinnacle. Not to mention the strength difference between the innate peak and the acquired peak, making it the most difficult of the eight meridians.

Among the cultivators present, fewer than ten had reached the Divine Crystal realm, and President Jin Can wasn’t among these ten.

Chen Zhou walked to the front of Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask. Star power flowed around his body. He snapped his fingers, and the floating leaves slaughtered all those trapped in the Divine Crystal illusion.

Over these years, he wasn’t without resentment in his heart, nor was he completely unaffected. Now his battle intent and killing intent boiled, with none spared among those blocking his path.

*

Zhen Su handed the Ye siblings to Lou Su before attacking Ming Li, who was moving forward. As someone at the Life and Death Realm, just one level away from breaking through to become a Pilgrim, and with Ye Yuanqing being the Tai Yi Sect Master he followed, having lost four companions during the encirclement, his killing intent toward Ming Li was the strongest.

He was the first to get past Chen Zhou and Black Fox Mask to reach Ming Li. Multiple meridian spirit techniques were released simultaneously: Body Technique Meridian – Thunder Fist, Heavy Eyes Meridian – Eight Demon Eyes, Yin Meridian – Divine Machine Entering Dreams.

If the Eight Demon Eyes failed to seal the Star Meridian, then Divine Machine Entering Dreams would control her mind, followed by Thunder Fist to injure her heart and lungs.

This combination was strategically correct, and the ability to release three spirit techniques simultaneously wasn’t to be underestimated.

Ming Li no longer cared whether continuing to use star power to fuel the Pilgrim’s Fire would burn her Star Meridian. The Fragmented Star Seal locked on her wrist provided star power, allowing her to forcibly bypass the Pilgrim’s Fire a second time to connect with her former Star Meridian, advancing to Pseudo-Eight Meridian Peak.

Eight Demon Eyes—a flash of bewitching red light passed between their eyes, sealing both of their Qi Circulation Meridians. But Ming Li was faster than him, already releasing Divine Machine Entering Dreams first, controlling his mind.

Zhen Su, forced to halt his attack and unable to move, was shocked again. She clearly hadn’t broken through, her speed wasn’t at the Eight Meridian Peak level, not even at the Life and Death Realm—why could she always be one step ahead of him?

Zhen Su severed his Yin Meridian to break free from Divine Machine Entering Dreams. From this position, he swung his Thunder Fist at Ming Li. Ming Li raised her sword to block. As the Thunder Fist hit the Divine Weapon sword, the skin and flesh touching the blade were scorched by the transmitted heat.

Ming Li slashed him back with one sword strike. Zhen Su was sent flying, falling to the ground, clutching his chest and coughing blood, his eyes showing defeat.

He opened his mouth but could hardly utter half a word before flying leaves driven by the Divine Crystal illusion slit his throat. He fell back to the ground, dying with his eyes wide open.

Even in death, Zhen Su couldn’t understand why, when his Thunder Fist touched the Divine Weapon sword, his Star Meridian was burned, leaving him completely unable to resist the Divine Crystal illusion.

Tai Yi’s Zi Su was also at the Heart Meridian Divine Crystal pinnacle. Now, finally emerging from Chen Zhou’s Divine Crystal illusion with President Qing Chuan and others, he happened to see Zhen Su dead before him, incredible as it seemed.

“Retreat first!” Lou Su pulled Ye Yiyi to withdraw to Tai Yi, but was blocked by Zhou Merchant Guild people. The Zhou Family Head said, “To oppose someone who can use Life and Death before becoming a Pilgrim is somewhat irrational.”

“She has already depleted too much. Using Life and Death before breaking through—the star power consumed is beyond our imagination,” Lou Su said. “After dealing with her, what will your Zhou Merchant Guild amount to?”

The Zhou Family Head didn’t speak, but the people beside him had already moved.

Everyone thought Ming Li couldn’t use more massive star power to cast Life and Death again, but they saw her walking forward, saying just one word: “Death.”

President Qing Chuan, being closest, felt it most directly. By the time he realized it was Life and Death, he couldn’t react before having his throat cut by the heavenly and earthly Qi Circulation.

The range of Life and Death continuously expanded. Many were blocking the path and were intent on killing her. Some hadn’t even realized what spirit technique it was before seeing people continuously dying, throats cut with blood spraying, more and more falling. Ming Li’s steps forward didn’t stop.

Both Zi Su and Lou Su changed expressions, unable to believe Ming Li could still use Life and Death. They each quickly retreated with their people. The Vice President of First Line Red, though fat, was the most agile and fastest.

Ming Li glanced at him—just one look. The Heart Meridian domain expanded to the Vice President of First Line Red, working with heavenly and earthly Qi Circulation, controlling “qi” and “intent,” making him unwillingly stop his escape, turning back with eyes full of terror, stepping into the Life and Death range.

Lou Su and Zi Su, instead of retreating, advanced, withstanding supreme pressure with mighty star power surrounding them. They bypassed Chen Zhou, who tried to stop them, instantly breaking through the Divine Crystal illusion to kill Ming Li.

The two attacked with a determination to die, shattering the Divine Weapon sword in Ming Li’s hand. The broken sword blades floated and reversed, killing towards Ming Li, forcing her back several steps.

Due to the Pilgrim’s Fire burns, Ming Li couldn’t even raise her hand to point out Qi Circulation incantations. The most severely burned were her Qi Circulation, Heavy Eyes, and Spiritual Court Meridians.

Before Ming Li could decide whether to abandon these three meridians, another star power pressure suddenly descended, comparable to a Pilgrim’s. Those cultivators who had just reached the foot of the mountain to watch but hadn’t arrived at the main battlefield were all forced to kneel by this pressure, shocked in their hearts—Pilgrim had come?

Strange black characters arrived before Ming Li’s eyes. The moment they settled, time in this forest seemed to freeze briefly. Countless identical black characters appeared from the void, imprinted on the foreheads of Western cultivators.

Except for Ming Li, even the Bei Dou people and the Earth Ghosts were marked by the black characters.

Chen Zhou was stunned upon seeing these black characters, instantly reminded of the colorfully dressed woman who gave him all the barbecue skewers when he was young.

After that brief freeze ended, the initial black characters still floated beside Ming Li. A heavenly and earthly Qi Circulation connected with Ming Li, like an inheritance engraved into her bloodline.

Lou Su and Zi Su, upon seeing these black characters, retreated rapidly. Just as the words “Yin Yang Curse” appeared in their minds, they were pierced by the black character marks on their foreheads.

The killing move suddenly unleashed by the black characters was fierce and violent, unstoppable, like the Pilgrim-level pressure covering the entire mountain. It gave no chance for resistance, executing on the spot.

Ming Li instinctively protected the people behind her. The Zhou Family Head barely escaped calamity by using the Divine Miracle ability Life Replacement to switch positions. Standing in the sea of blood, his expression grave, he looked at the black characters standing before Ming Li.

The black characters still floated before Ming Li, seeming to escort her safely back to her father’s side.

The western cultivators no longer dared to step forward. Those still waiting at the foot of the mountain to watch the excitement had knelt due to the star power pressure, their hearts uneasy. After kneeling for a long time, they finally saw people coming down the mountain path.

Ming Li led her senior brothers and the Bei Dou people down the mountain.

The path ahead had no more enemies.