Xie Xuechen thought that Mu Xuanling might have truly mistaken him for someone else. He didn’t know who Mu Xuanling had taken him for, perhaps the “big brother” she mentioned, but Xie Xuechen knew he wasn’t that person.
If Mu Xuanling could suddenly realize this and let go of her attachment to him, it might be a good thing for both of them.
But thinking of this possibility, he didn’t feel relieved or like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Instead, there was an inexplicable irritation and ache.
After returning, Mu Xuanling went straight to the dungeon, closed the cell door, and lay down on the hay pile. She stared at the stone wall with open eyes, the scene from seven years ago constantly floating before her. Who was that person who looked so similar to Xie Xuechen?
Besides Xie Xuechen, who else could it be?
If it was him back then, he wouldn’t have pushed her away, right? He risked his life to save her, how could he bear to reject her?
Mu Xuanling hugged herself tightly, feeling wronged, and closed her eyes dejectedly. Let it be this way then, staying here for a lifetime was fine too. After all, there was no one left in this world who loved her deeply.
Mu Xuanling fell into a drowsy sleep. Having lost all her powers, she didn’t hear the faint footsteps behind her.
A figure covered her small, curled-up body. Warm fingertips wiped away the tears on her eyelashes. A barely audible sigh was suppressed in the throat as the person helped cover her with a blanket, finally waking her.
Mu Xuanling rubbed her eyes and recognized the person sitting beside her.
“Master Nan?” she called out in a hoarse voice.
Nan Xuyue’s fingertips still held the dampness from her eyelashes. He gently rubbed his fingertips and said softly, “Is this your choice? To stay here and be a prisoner?”
Mu Xuanling lowered her head guiltily: “You don’t need to make such a big sacrifice to save me.”
“This isn’t a sacrifice,” Nan Xuyue said seriously. “It’s what I desire most.”
“Master Nan…”
“You can call me Nan Xuyue, or just call me by my name,” Nan Xuyue interrupted her.
Mu Xuanling fluttered her eyelashes and sighed, “Nan Xuyue, I don’t understand why you want to do this.”
That day when he embraced her in the garden and said those words, she tossed and turned, thinking hard, but still couldn’t understand why. In her mind, Nan Xuyue was an extremely gentle and kind young master from a noble family. For the sake of saving someone, he was willing to sacrifice his reputation, which was understandable. But she felt it wasn’t necessary, and she didn’t want to implicate him.
Nan Xuyue smiled bitterly, “If you understand your feelings for Xie Xuechen, then you should understand that I feel the same way about you.”
“That’s what I don’t understand,” Mu Xuanling frowned. “I’ve never given you anything, nor have I been particularly good to you.”
In her heart, from beginning to end, there was only one person. Others were just others.
She couldn’t bear to say such cruel words to Nan Xuyue, but her heartbeat was so resolute that Nan Xuyue found it jarring, yet clear.
“You just don’t realize it yourself,” Nan Xuyue’s eyes were clouded with gloom, making Mu Xuanling lose focus.
“Ling’er, when I first met you, it was the darkest moment of my life. It was you who helped me walk out of that gloom, creating the Nan Xuyue of today.”
Mu Xuanling looked at Nan Xuyue’s serious expression, but she couldn’t even remember what she had said back then. She only remembered that Nan Xuyue was very sad at the time, and she seemed to have said some words to comfort him.
“I’ll tell you a secret. Do you want to hear it?” Nan Xuyue asked softly.
Mu Xuanling hesitated for a moment, then nodded: “Alright, I’ll keep it secret.”
Nan Xuyue said, “Actually, the destruction of my spirit aperture wasn’t done by the demon race.”
Mu Xuanling’s pupils contracted, her heart suddenly jolted, and then she heard Nan Xuyue calmly continue: “It was my mother, Madam Xue, who colluded with evil cultivators, pretending to be demons, and kidnapped me.”
“Madam Xue is my nominal mother. My father, Nan Wujiu, had five wives, and Madam Xue was the one with the highest cultivation among them. Before I was born, her son Nan Xingye was my father’s most outstanding son. He formed his Golden Core at fifteen and had the potential to reach the Fashen realm.”
Mu Xuanling could almost guess the later plot, and sure enough, what Nan Xuyue said was exactly the kind of thing commonly seen in the mundane world.
“Nan Xingye is my elder brother. He should have inherited Yunxiu Mountain Manor, but after I was born, my father gave all his love and care to me. Everyone knew that Yunxiu Mountain Manor would eventually be mine,” Nan Xuyue suddenly let out a low laugh. “I had long sensed Madam Xue’s hatred towards me, but she should have known the price of harming me. I thought she would have some scruples.”
Mu Xuanling asked, “Did you discover her collusion with evil cultivators?”
Nan Xuyue nodded: “She thought by having people disguise as enemies, she could deceive everyone, but I still found evidence and told my father everything. The one who colluded with evil cultivators was her, but the mastermind behind it was Nan Xingye.”
“Then… did your father handle it impartially?” Mu Xuanling asked softly.
“Handle it impartially?” Nan Xuyue repeated these words quietly, slightly furrowing his brow. “Ling’er, do you know what justice is?”
Mu Xuanling thought for a moment and said, “Good is rewarded and evil is punished. That’s justice, right?”
Nan Xuyue smiled slightly and patted her head: “You think the same as I did when I was ten.”
Mu Xuanling was a bit dazed, with a bad feeling in her heart.
The scene became clear again in Nan Xuyue’s mind. He vaguely heard Madam Xue’s cries and Nan Xingye begging for mercy. His enraged father raised his iron palm high, spiritual power gathering in his palm, ready to strike them both dead.
Madam Xue hugged Nan Wujiu’s legs, crying and trying to stop him.
“She said, ‘Are you going to destroy a Golden Core cultivator for the sake of a useless child?'” Nan Xuyue softly repeated Madam Xue’s hysterical cry. At that time, he didn’t understand the weight of those words.
Now, Mu Xuanling didn’t understand either. Her beautiful eyes seemed to be covered by a layer of mist.
“Ling’er, it was then that I understood, my father’s justice was power,” Nan Xuyue’s smile was somewhat sorrowful. “The injuries I suffered, everything I lost, because they were already lost, weren’t worth mentioning. My elder brother had already formed his Golden Core and had the potential to reach the Fashen realm. With me crippled, he was the hope of Yunxiu Mountain Manor. My father wouldn’t destroy the hope of Yunxiu Mountain Manor for the sake of a useless person.”
Mu Xuanling’s heart turned ice-cold, as if she were in the midst of a snowy wilderness, her limbs seemingly frozen and unable to move.
Nan Xuyue was still smiling, but there wasn’t a trace of joy in that smile.
“I once thought I had everything, but it turned out to be an illusion. When I lost my power, I lost my family along with it,” Nan Xuyue’s cool fingertips brushed Mu Xuanling’s hair at her temples. He said sadly, “That year, when I went to Mingyue Mountain Manor to borrow the Chaos Pearl, I met you. It was you who told me, that if no one likes you, then keep all the liking for yourself. Even if I became useless, I could still do things that many people in the world couldn’t do. You didn’t know that your casual words became the hope for my rebirth. I wanted to take you away, but at that time I was just a useless person. When I made that request, all I got was my father’s impatience and disgust.”
“I thought that one day when I became the master of Yunxiu Mountain Manor, I could rightfully ask for you. But before I could take the position of manor master, news came that Mingyue Mountain Manor had been brutally destroyed and reduced to ruins. I went to see, that some half-demons were dead, burned to ashes, and some were taken away by Sang Qi and became his demon soldiers. I didn’t know if you were dead or alive, had no way to inquire, and could only bury the regret forever in my heart.”
“But now, I can protect you, yet you’re unwilling,” Nan Xuyue sighed with a bitter smile. “Ling’er, I was the one who met you first.”
In the depths of confusion, Mu Xuanling’s mind was in turmoil, unable to process Nan Xuyue’s words. Her heart was filled with both pity and anger for Nan Xuyue’s plight, as well as a deep sense of helplessness at his melancholy. What’s past is past, and her heart was now occupied by another, whether that person was Xie Xuechen or not. To her, Nan Xuyue was nothing more than a friend.
New moons rise at the edge of the sky, yet dawn and dusk bring the deepest longing. It seemed everyone had their thoughts, despite being so close yet so far away.
Mu Xuanling didn’t know how to respond to Nan Xuyue’s tenderness. Suddenly, she understood Xie Xuechen’s predicament; this must be the same feeling of difficulty and guilt he experienced when facing her.
Just as Mu Xuanling was about to speak, she felt a violent tremor shake the dungeon, causing the flames to flicker wildly.
“What’s happening?” Mu Xuanling steadied herself against the stone wall, feeling the mountain tremble beneath her palm.
Could it be an earthquake? But Yong Xue City had a protective barrier; how could such a strong earthquake occur?
Nan Xuyue grabbed Mu Xuanling’s wrist urgently. “Let’s get out of here first!”
Instinctively, Mu Xuanling allowed herself to be pulled by Nan Xuyue as they ran out of the cell. The mountain’s tremors induced dizziness, making the corridor before them seem to come alive, twisting everything around them.
A familiar aura cascaded down from above, enveloping everything. Mu Xuanling felt as if she’d been plunged into an icy cave, her limbs instantly freezing.
“It’s him…” She slowed her pace, her eyes unfocused as she muttered, “Why is he here?”
Nan Xuyue also sensed that intimidating aura—dark and immense, heavily pressing down on their hearts, involuntarily plunging them into fear. Seeing Mu Xuanling’s pale face, he suddenly understood what she was afraid of.
“This power, is it Sang Qi?” Nan Xuyue could hardly believe it. The power was too vast. Sang Qi was only a half-demon, known for his viciousness, cunning, and mystery. Almost no one had seen him take action personally, and half-demons had limited cultivation potential. How could he possess such tremendous power?
Mu Xuanling had been by Sang Qi’s side for seven years but had never witnessed him in action. This power far exceeded her imagination.
Why would Sang Qi come to Yong Xue City? What did he want to do?
Could it be that he came for her?
In the dead of night, Yong Xue City was enveloped in silence. An invisible hemispherical barrier covered the city, blocking the invasion of evil enemies. Sang Qi’s power and aura were so strong that as soon as he approached, it triggered the defensive mountain barrier. The barrier emitted a golden-white light, resisting the dark aura from the demon realm.
Sang Qi levitated, controlling the wind, wearing a dark cloak. His magical power erupted, his silver hair floating wildly without wind. His right hand, extending from the cloak, displayed a metallic silver color with densely packed, strange runes engraved upon it. At this moment, those runes seemed to come alive, moving on his arm before transforming into a thin, black spirit snake that flew out. Amidst the surging demonic energy, the black spirit snake rapidly expanded, soon growing to several hundred feet long, resembling an ink-colored flood dragon. It let out a long roar, causing the ground to shake and the mountains to tremble. The ink dragon’s eyes flashed with fierce red light as it lunged toward Yong Xue City’s barrier. The golden light barrier instantly dimmed, and the entire mountain shook with it.
The flood dragon let out a painful roar, its anger fueling its power to new heights. It reared its thick neck and, with a shake of its head, rammed into the barrier with even greater force. At that moment, an incredibly sharp sword energy appeared out of nowhere, slicing towards the center of its eyes. The flood dragon couldn’t dodge in time and was struck in the brow by the sword’s energy. A cloud of black smoke rose as it writhed and howled in pain in mid-air.
The golden light returned to its master’s hand. A sword cultivator in white robes raised his cold phoenix eyes to look at the enemy hundreds of feet away.
“Sect Leader Xie, long time no see,” Sang Qi’s cold, hoarse voice carried from afar. Though not loud, it seemed to resound right next to their ears, like a gentle whisper, yet containing malice and killing intent.
Xie Xuechen stood proudly, his wide sleeves billowing, the cinnabar mark on his brow faintly glowing, looking like a divine being as he faced off against the dark-robed priest from a distance.
“In the Battle of Ten Thousand Immortals, the power you revealed was not even a fraction of what you show now,” Xie Xuechen coldly looked at Sang Qi. “What brings the Great Priest here?”
Sang Qi curled his thin, crimson lips into a smile and said, “Naturally, I’ve come to retrieve my beloved disciple.”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you have your way,” Xie Xuechen held his sword across his chest. Jun Tian Sword emitted a dazzling light, illuminating the surroundings and keeping the demonic energy at bay.
“There’s no need for Sect Leader Xie to be so hostile. I bear no ill will towards you,” Sang Qi said slowly. “Didn’t little Ling tell you that I instructed her to save you from the Molten Abyss?”
Xie Xuechen’s heart shook, but he quickly composed himself, refusing to listen to Sang Qi’s deceptive words.
Sang Qi chuckled softly, “You don’t believe me, do you? That Half-Day Fragrance pill little Ling used, I taught her how to refine it. There’s only one in the world.”
In response to Sang Qi, Jun Tian Sword unleashed a heaven-shattering strike.
That sword strike was like the rising sun, outshining stars, and moon, making the demonic flood dragon tremble violently.
Sang Qi could barely withstand this strike. His dark robe developed a small tear, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His face showed a grave expression.
Xie Xuechen’s determination was stronger than he had imagined. He had told the truth, but if Xie Xuechen didn’t believe him, there was nothing he could do.
He knew that Xie Xuechen had suffered severe injuries a few days ago, and his spiritual power had been depleting daily, not yet having recovered to his peak state. However, he had witnessed Xie Xuechen’s swordsmanship in the Battle of Ten Thousand Immortals—relentless, leaving no room for error, unleashing power far beyond human limits.
Sang Qi had only come to retrieve a disciple; he had no intention of engaging in a death battle with Xie Xuechen.
A strange color flashed in his silver eyes as Sang Qi extended his other hand—his left hand. It was a long and delicate hand, more beautiful than a woman’s, yet more powerful. He spread his five fingers, the ivory-colored fingertips slowly turning crimson. A drop of dark red blood emerged from his fingertips, suspended in the air. His five fingers drew a mysterious sigil in the void, and the dark red blood twisted and flowed into the sigil, floating in the air like a red thread, emitting a faint red glow.
Blood color rose in his silver eyes as Sang Qi slowly raised his hand. The red net suddenly began to spin frantically, growing larger and larger. In an instant, the palm-sized sigil covered the sky, plunging Yong Xue City into darkness.
Xie Xuechen immediately felt the spiritual energy around him rapidly diminishing, replaced by frantically growing demonic energy. It was as if this place was no longer the human realm, but the demon realm.
This was the ghostly technique of the half-demon priest, combining arrays with demonic energy to create myriad changes—one of the most powerful arrays, the Heaven and Earth Stealing Array.
This array could only be maintained for a quarter of an hour. During this time, within the area covered by the array, spiritual energy would not be generated, and demonic energy would spread wildly. Xie Xuechen’s power was greatly reduced, while the flood dragon’s power increased by more than twofold. The flood dragon frantically absorbed the demonic energy, quickly healing the sword wound on its brow. Two horns grew on its forehead, and its body grew larger, becoming more solid and ferocious. With a fierce light in its eyes, it roared and flew towards Xie Xuechen.
Jun Tian Sword multiplied from one to ten thousand, weaving a giant net of sword light to block the flood dragon’s path. The flood dragon struggled fiercely within the sword net, biting through it and continuing to fly towards Xie Xuechen. It rammed towards him, but only hit an afterimage. The real Xie Xuechen had somehow appeared on its back, Jun Tian Sword in hand, stabbing downwards through its body. However, this strike met no resistance, and Xie Xuechen immediately realized it was a trap. But the flood dragon had already turned its head, spewing a jet of black demonic energy towards him.
Xie Xuechen avoided most of the demonic energy but was still grazed by a bit, leaving a black-purple mark on his chest.
This flood dragon could shift between solid and ethereal at will. When it struck, it became solid; when attacked, it became ethereal.
It was nearly impossible for the flood dragon to defeat Xie Xuechen, but it was also not a matter Xie Xuechen could resolve with a single sword strike.
Xie Xuechen’s gaze shifted to Sang Qi, suddenly realizing something was amiss. He sent a sword energy strike towards Sang Qi, who neither dodged nor avoided, allowing the sword energy to pass through his chest and abdomen.
Xie Xuechen’s eyes darkened—it was a demonic energy illusion.
Sang Qi had merely used the flood dragon to delay him; his real target was Mu Xuanling. This was both a hidden plot and an open one. Even if he saw through Sang Qi’s scheme, he couldn’t ignore this flood dragon and allow it to endanger the citizens of Yong Xue City.
Nan Xuyue and Mu Xuanling emerged from the dungeon, immediately spotting the flood dragon in the distant sky, along with that dazzling sword light.
“Sang Qi’s demonic flood dragon.” Mu Xuanling’s breath caught, and her heart suddenly wracked with pain, as if all strength had been drained from her body. She collapsed weakly to the ground.
Nan Xuyue hurriedly supported her, asking with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Mu Xuanling’s face was pale, unable to speak.
Nan Xuyue glanced at Xie Xuechen battling the flood dragon, then suddenly bent down and lifted Mu Xuanling onto his back.
“Nan…” Mu Xuanling’s breathing was rapid and chaotic, unable to call out Nan Xuyue’s full name. She lay powerlessly on Nan Xuyue’s somewhat thin back, feeling the warmth and determination emanating from his body.
“There’s a teleportation array in my room. I’ll take you there first,” Nan Xuyue said.
He had an old injury on his foot, with half of his leg beneath his long robe being a prosthetic. Usually, he walked slowly, making it difficult for others to notice his disability. But now, with Mu Xuanling on his back and walking urgently, she could feel the hardships he had endured.
Mu Xuanling’s heart ached with each breath, and beyond the pain, there was an indescribable sadness.
You don’t have to be so kind to me…
Each of these thousand-plus steps seemed to tread on her heart.
However, before they could reach the teleportation array, a tall figure blocked their path.
The dark-robed priest stood smiling under a nearby plum blossom tree, plucking a flower with a smile as if attending a long-awaited rendezvous. He lowered his head to gently smell the plum blossom, yet crushed the petals with his fingertips. His slightly upturned silver eyes glanced sideways at the two who had stopped in their tracks, his thin lips curling into a faint smile.
“Little Ling, it’s time to go home.”
Nan Xuyue slowly lowered Mu Xuanling and opened his magical artifact, Zhe Feng.
“I’ll hold him off. You go to the array,” Nan Xuyue said.
Sang Qi smiled contemptuously, “Manor Lord Nan, I’m afraid you’re not capable of stopping me.”
Even Yong Xue City’s barrier couldn’t stop him. He simply didn’t want to confront Xie Xuechen directly, so he used the flood dragon as a diversion. Losing a bit of his heart’s blood was inconsequential.
Mu Xuanling’s breath trembled as she weakly said, “Master, please don’t hurt him.”
Sang Qi smiled, “Alright, come here obediently.”
Mu Xuanling struggled to lift her foot, but Nan Xuyue gripped her wrist tightly. His gaze was solemn, his knuckles white as he held Zhe Feng, yet without a trace of trembling. He resolutely raised the magical artifact, and the folding fan swiftly opened.
Sang Qi only saw that one side of the fan depicted a bamboo forest, the craftsmanship lifelike, with faint sounds of rustling leaves seemingly coming from within. Suddenly, the bamboo leaves on the fan truly began to move, transforming into countless green blades whirling toward Sang Qi.
Sang Qi raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, casually waving his hand to turn the bamboo leaves into gray ash.
“How presumptuous,” Sang Qi snorted lightly, but immediately furrowed his brow.
For the two people before him had vanished.