Although Mu Xuanling had spent years in the Demon Realm, she was well-versed in the general situation of the Five Immortal Sects Alliance. Initially, the Alliance wasn’t limited to five sects but comprised hundreds of cultivation sects, large and small. Countless cultivators occupied their blessed lands, establishing sects and recruiting disciples. Over thousands of years, smaller sects either died out or were absorbed by larger ones, leaving only five major sects. These were: Snow-Embracing City in the West, Mirror Flower Valley in the South, Azure Sky Palace in the Central Plains, Hanging Heaven Temple in the North, and Spirit Bird Island in the East.
Ten years ago, there were seven sects in the Alliance. However, one sect lost its successors and became a secular sect, while another was tragically annihilated. The sole survivor of the latter was Gao Qiumin, the orphan of Moonlight Manor.
Moonlight Manor once held a transcendent position in the Alliance because it enshrined a primordial treasure – the Chaos Pearl.
Legend had it that at the beginning of ancient times, when heaven and earth were in chaos, Pangu wielded the world-creating axe to shatter the void. The chaos energy split into pure and turbid energies, thus creating the Divine Realm above and the Six Realms below. However, the power of chaos didn’t vanish but evolved into two treasures. One flew to the Divine Realm to govern it, known as the Book of Destiny. The other sank to the earth to be wielded by humans, called the Chaos Pearl. After changing hands several times in the human realm, the Chaos Pearl finally came into the possession of Moonlight Manor. Generation after generation, the manor’s inhabitants became the pearl’s guardians, protected by its power.
It was said that the power of chaos disregarded the laws of strength and weakness, and could even reverse time and causality. But no one had ever used the Chaos Pearl, nor did anyone dare risk stealing it from Moonlight Manor.
However, the demon and monster races did just that.
Seven years ago, the two races joined forces, paying a great price to break through the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation’s barrier. Grand Priest Sang Qi personally led a large army in a night raid on Moonlight Manor. In one night, Moonlight Manor was destroyed, with blood flowing like rivers. The Chaos Pearl disappeared, rumored to have fallen into the Demon Realm. Some whispered secretly that the Chaos Pearl was in Xie Xuechen’s possession.
By an incredible coincidence, on the night Moonlight Manor was annihilated, Xie Xuechen happened to pass by and saved Gao Qiumin, though he was severely injured in the process, nearly losing all his cultivation. But in less than a month, Xie Xuechen not only recovered his cultivation but also comprehended the most extraordinary cultivation method in history from his near-death experience – the Jade Palace Scripture. The lower realms were filled with turbid energy, making cultivation difficult for mortals, but the Jade Palace Divine Skill could reverse yin and yang, turning turbid energy into pure energy, and allowing rapid progress in cultivation. This led to Xie Xuechen becoming the youngest Fashen realm cultivator in human history, his sword light chilling the Nine Provinces.
After Moonlight Manor’s destruction, Gao Qiumin was taken in as a disciple by the leader of Mirror Flower Valley, who taught her everything. The current Valley Master Su Ningzhen and Gao Qiumin’s mother were twin sisters. They shared not only a master-disciple relationship but also a blood connection. Su Ningzhen had once expressed in the Alliance that to repay Sect Leader Xie for saving her life, Gao Qiumin was willing to offer herself in marriage.
Xie Xuechen never responded, and most people assumed he had tacitly agreed.
But Mu Xuanling now realized that Xie Xuechen didn’t even know Gao Qiumin.
Xie Xuechen was a sword cultivator devoted to the way of the sword, with few desires. Apart from swords, rarely did anything catch his eye or touch his heart.
Hah, now Mu Xuanling was one of those rare exceptions.
Xie Xuechen was quite angered. No matter how Mu Xuanling threatened or coaxed, he firmly refused to compromise this time. Mu Xuanling lay on the bed, resting her chin on her hands as she observed Xie Xuechen. He sat cross-legged nearby, fully clothed, eyes closed in meditation, trying to stabilize his dao heart.
Mu Xuanling lazily sprawled, her small feet raised playfully, swinging back and forth, producing a series of crisp bell sounds. She softly hummed a song, its lyrics indistinct but the melody quite lively and cheerful.
“Sect Leader Xie’s heartbeat is a bit erratic,” Mu Xuanling said with a smug smile, her eyes curving. “It’s all because of me.”
Xie Xuechen ignored her, silently reciting the Jade Palace Scripture in his mind.
As the night deepened to the third watch, all was quiet outside. Inside, the lamp oil burned out, and the last flicker of flame wavered twice before reluctantly extinguishing.
At that moment, a very faint sound suddenly arose in the room. In the darkness, a palm-sized spherical shadow flashed by extremely quickly, pouncing towards the person lying on the bed. The seemingly sleeping girl unhurriedly turned over, just happening to envelop that shadow in the crook of her arm.
“Treasure-Sniffing Mouse, you managed to run away, but why have you come back?” Mu Xuanling asked in a lowered voice, grinning.
The Treasure-Sniffing Mouse was a bit foolish, nuzzling its round, short nose against Mu Xuanling, its round, fluffy body trembling like a furball.
“Did you smell a treasure on me?” Mu Xuanling poked its plump, round body with her index finger.
“Sister…” the Treasure-Sniffing Mouse suddenly spoke in human language, with a childish voice that sounded like a five or six-year-old.
Mu Xuanling was startled, leaning in to examine it closely, asking curiously, “You can speak?”
The Treasure-Sniffing Mouse nodded, its black grape-like eyes shining brightly. “A… little…”
Mu Xuanling suddenly realized, “You’re a half-demon? Your father is human?”
The Treasure-Sniffing Mouse nodded again.
“No wonder you didn’t dare speak earlier,” Mu Xuanling sighed, cradling it in her palm. “If they knew you were a half-demon, you’d be in big trouble.”
The timid Treasure-Sniffing Mouse, recalling those four cultivators, couldn’t help but tremble again.
In the current lower realms, humans were strong while demon races were declining. Some demon races, forced by survival, had to submit to humans, either becoming spirit beasts for immortal sects or obtaining a good demon certificate from the Demon Inspection Bureau. This involved having cultivators plant restrictions on them, forbidding them from killing or eating meat for life, or they would explode and die. Some demons, unwilling to submit, chose a different path, wandering in the wilderness and hiding in sparsely populated areas to cultivate in secret. These uncertified demons weren’t necessarily evil, but human cultivators had an unwritten rule: encountering an uncertified demon, regardless of good or evil, killing it was no crime. If not killed, they could be captured, refined, and enslaved as demon servants.
Half-demons, being neither human nor demon, held the lowest status. Born with innate cultivation, they lacked both human-divine apertures and demon cores, unable to advance in cultivation or reproduce. Humans viewed them as a disgrace to their race and an error to be corrected. Half-demons had only one path: to become demon servants.
Since the Treasure-Sniffing Mouse was a half-demon, its mother must have been a shape-shifting rat demon, and its father a human.
The Treasure-Sniffing Mouse had an extremely sensitive intuition. It sensed the aura of treasures from Mu Xuanling, as well as a familiar aura that made it feel close to her.
“Where are your parents?” Mu Xuanling asked softly.
The Treasure-Sniffing Mouse scratched Mu Xuanling’s hand with its little paws, struggling to form sentences: “Father… gone… Mother… at home…”
Mu Xuanling wasn’t sure what “gone” meant, and perhaps the little mouse’s small brain didn’t fully understand either.
“Do you want me to take you home?”
As soon as Mu Xuanling asked, the Treasure-Sniffing Mouse’s round eyes blinked, and immediately large teardrops began falling in strings.
“My, my treasures are all, all gone…”
“Uh…”
Mu Xuanling’s palm became wet as the Treasure-Sniffing Mouse cried miserably, yet still trying to control its sobs, as pitiful as a three-year-old child who had lost their candy.
“You don’t expect me to help you get them back, do you?” Mu Xuanling said, caught between laughter and tears. As she spoke, she felt a shadow fall over her. Xie Xuechen had somehow approached the bed. The Treasure-Sniffing Mouse, frightened, squeaked and darted forward, its two paws clinging to Mu Xuanling’s collar, its ears beginning to glow again.
Although Xie Xuechen had lost his magical powers, his imposing aura remained intimidating. The Treasure-Sniffing Mouse’s innate intuition sensed the sharp aura of a sword cultivator from Xie Xuechen, far surpassing the four cultivators from earlier, naturally terrifying it out of its wits.
Mu Xuanling gently stroked its trembling body, smiling, “Don’t be afraid, he won’t hurt you.”
Xie Xuechen looked down, frowning slightly, “This demon beast lives by thievery. Though it doesn’t kill, it harms many. It should be sent to the Demon Inspection Bureau for investigation.”
Xiu Bao Shu whimpered weakly, “I didn’t steal anything… It was all given to me by Father…”
Mu Xuanling shielded Xiu Bao Shu with one hand while supporting herself on the bed with the other. She looked at Xie Xuechen with a faint smile and said softly, “Sect Leader Xie, don’t scare it. It’s still a child. Such a small Xiu Bao Shu isn’t capable of stealing from others.”
Xiu Bao Shu poked its little head out from Mu Xuanling’s palm, its eyes moist as it said, “Mother said Father is the richest cultivator in the world, and all the treasures in the cave are Father’s.”
Mu Xuanling was slightly taken aback by these words – the richest cultivator in the world?
“What’s your father’s name?” she asked.
Xiu Bao Shu shook its head blankly, saying, “I don’t know. Father is just Father.”
“The words of a beast spirit cannot be fully trusted,” Xie Xuechen said coldly.
The richest sect in the world was Bi Xiao Palace. Xiu Bao Shu’s words implied that its father was the Palace Master of Bi Xiao Palace, which was utterly ridiculous!
Xiu Bao Shu shrank its neck in dismay and said quietly, “I lost Father’s treasures… I don’t dare go home…”
Mu Xuanling stroked Xiu Bao Shu’s soft fur, lowered her eyes, and after a moment of silence, she smiled and said, “Big Sister will help you get them back!”
Xie Xuechen said, “I will stop you.”
Mu Xuanling pouted, “Sect Leader Xie, it was Gao Qiumin who was unreasonable and stole Xiu Bao Shu’s treasures first. It’s only right that I help get them back!”
Xie Xuechen glanced at Xiu Bao Shu and said coldly, “It’s a beast spirit.”
“Does being a beast spirit mean it deserves to be robbed by human cultivators?”
Xie Xuechen frowned slightly and shook his head, “It’s not a good beast spirit. According to the Immortal Alliance rules, not killing it is already showing mercy.”
Mu Xuanling snorted coldly, “Sect Leader Xie, you’re a human cultivator, so naturally, you speak for humans. I’m a beast spirit, so I must stand up for beast spirits! You think you’re right, but how am I wrong?”
Xie Xuechen was a man of few words and couldn’t match Mu Xuanling’s eloquence. He was immediately rendered speechless.
Mu Xuanling, protecting Xiu Bao Shu, moved past Xie Xuechen like a ghost, reaching the door in the blink of an eye.
Xie Xuechen couldn’t stop her in time and could only turn to follow.
Four cultivators from Mirror Flower Valley were taking turns guarding that night, with two male cultivators currently on duty on the roof. Mu Xuanling, having practiced demonic techniques, had numerous mystical skills. She lightly stomped her foot, and the jade-white bell on her ankle emitted an eerie sound, faint yet seemingly full of sorrow.
Xie Xuechen’s spirit trembled slightly, but his cultivation was profound. Even though he couldn’t use his spiritual power at the moment, he wasn’t controlled by the magical artifact. However, the two on the roof were different. Their cultivation was shallow, and their foundation weak. Already drowsy, they were effortlessly entranced by Mu Xuanling. The two stood motionless with blank stares as if they had lost their souls, not even noticing when Mu Xuanling appeared before them.
Following Xiu Bao Shu’s instructions, Mu Xuanling took a magical artifact from each of them and put them into her spatial ring. Just then, the sound of a sharp weapon cutting through the air came. Mu Xuanling reacted swiftly, her supple waist bending backward to dodge the frontal arrow. However, the arrow seemed to have a mind of its own, turning around to pursue Mu Xuanling again.
Mu Xuanling gracefully leaped down from the roof, landing right beside Xie Xuechen. She turned to face the hidden arrow, her hands forming a seal. A dark purple magic array appeared from her palms, seemingly solid. The hidden arrow plunged straight into the array and disappeared.
On the rooftop stood a graceful figure in white, coldly looking down at Mu Xuanling.
“I knew there was something wrong with you two,” Gao Qiumin said coldly. “Demonic techniques – are you a half-beast or a demon? There’s not a trace of beast or demon aura leaking from you. You must have a high-level artifact concealing your aura to evade my detection.”
The round-faced female cultivator beside her woke up the two male cultivators and said smugly, “This demon cultivator is full of tricks, but fortunately, Senior Sister Gao is clever and saw through their oddities at a glance. Hmph, a married couple sharing a room, yet no shoes under the bed – a hasty cover-up.”
Mu Xuanling suddenly realized and said ruefully, “It’s all because of my lack of experience. Next time, I’ll remember to take off my shoes before getting into bed.”
Xie Xuechen: “…”
As the round-faced female cultivator spoke, Gao Qiumin took out a yellow talisman from her sleeve. She chanted an incantation, and the talisman burned without fire, turning into six sparks that flew towards six corners, forming a hexagram array under Mu Xuanling’s feet.
This was Mirror Flower Valley’s unique array – the Six-Petaled Flower Crushing Array. As the array formed, countless pink petals appeared in the air, as if a dream-like rain of flower petals was falling. But Mu Xuanling had no time to appreciate it. The petals in the array were formed from spiritual energy, each as sharp as a blade. When the array caster channeled their spiritual power, the myriad petals would transform into killing weapons, slicing the person in the array into pieces, creating a bloody rain within.
Gao Qiumin stared coldly at Mu Xuanling: “Confess your identity honestly. Who sent you to ambush me, and what’s your purpose?”
Mu Xuanling’s lips curved into a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. She fearlessly returned Gao Qiumin’s gaze and slowly said, “Me? I’m just a cultivator who couldn’t stand by and watch injustice, coming to the aid of the righteous. I couldn’t bear to see you four cultivators bullying a little one.”
Xiu Bao Shu curled up on Mu Xuanling’s shoulder and trembled in fear. It covered its head with its two paws, not daring to look up, only its two shimmering golden round ears visible.
Mu Xuanling raised her hand to scratch its head: “You coward, I should have thrown you out earlier.”
Gao Qiumin also noticed the Xiu Bao Shu on Mu Xuanling’s shoulder and sneered, “So you came for the treasure. I had intended to keep this Xiu Bao Shu as a spirit beast, but since it has an owner now, I’ll have to kill you both.”
“If your master were here, I might show her some respect. But you want to kill me?” Mu Xuanling chuckled, her gaze fierce and contemptuous, “Are you worthy?”
Gao Qiumin’s anger instantly flared. She pointed her Autumn Water Sword at the array, and the pink petals floating in the air trembled slightly before bursting with killing intent. They began to rotate at high speed in a vortex, rushing towards Mu Xuanling like a violent storm.
Mu Xuanling was prepared. As soon as Gao Qiumin raised her sword, she bit her fingertip, using blood as an incantation. Her finger quickly drew an array in the air. The array emitted a crimson light, gradually expanding from a palm-sized circle until it enveloped both Mu Xuanling and Xie Xuechen.
The delicate flower petals withered and turned to ash as soon as they touched the blood light, easily defeated before Mu Xuanling’s array.
Gao Qiumin was shocked. The Mirror Flower Valley’s array was extremely lethal and ranked among the world’s top four killing arrays. She had never failed when using this array, but it proved so ineffective against Mu Xuanling.
Mu Xuanling smiled and said, “The strength of the Six-Petaled Flower Crushing Array depends on the spiritual power of the one who sets it up. If Su Ningzhen had set it up, it would indeed rank among the world’s top four killing arrays. But with you, it falls far short.”
Gao Qiumin had been recognized as a prodigy since childhood and was the center of attention in Mirror Flower Valley. No one had ever spoken to her like this, let alone an evil cultivator. Even Xie Xuechen, the top sword cultivator, had been angered by Mu Xuanling to the point of losing his composure, let alone Gao Qiumin. Even through her veil, one could see her extremely unpleasant expression.
The other three cultivators, seeing the situation turn unfavorable, immediately said, “Senior Sister Gao, this demon cultivator is unfathomable. She might be a spy from the Demon Clan. We should quickly notify our sect!”
This was giving Gao Qiumin a way out, intending to escape.
Mu Xuanling sneered and clenched her fist, and the blood light of the demonic array suddenly flared brightly, engulfing the entire Flower Crushing Array. Mu Xuanling’s figure flickered, approaching Gao Qiumin and the others like a ghost.
Gao Qiumin immediately turned and flew down from the roof, fleeing in haste with her three companions.
Mu Xuanling caught up with them in a few breaths, but unexpectedly, Xie Xuechen was no slower than her. A cold, gleaming sword blocked Mu Xuanling’s path – she recognized it as the sword dropped by one of the male cultivators earlier.
Mu Xuanling narrowed her eyes and looked at Xie Xuechen: “You’re stopping me?”
Xie Xuechen said coldly, “I won’t let you kill anyone.”
Mu Xuanling showed a smile devoid of warmth. She lightly stomped her foot, and the bone bell emitted a piercing sound, like the sharp whistle of an arrow cutting through the air. The three cultivators with lower cultivation levels in front immediately cried out in pain, covering their ears and falling to their knees.
Gao Qiumin’s Yuan spirit was also shaken, causing her to stumble. This brief delay allowed Mu Xuanling to catch up.
Mu Xuanling snatched Gao Qiumin’s spatial ring and put it in her bosom, then stared at Gao Qiumin playfully, like a cat toying with a mouse. At this moment, Gao Qiumin had completely lost her arrogance and composure, her eyes revealing fear of death.
Xie Xuechen stood before Gao Qiumin with his sword raised, blocking Mu Xuanling’s hand and reaching towards Gao Qiumin. Although Xie Xuechen couldn’t use his spiritual power, his swordsmanship was still unparalleled in the world. The sword’s energy wove into an impenetrable net. Mu Xuanling was almost cut across the face, but she dodged quickly, only losing a strand of hair.
Mu Xuanling looked at Xie Xuechen in shock and anger: “You’re using blood as a sword!”
At some point, Xie Xuechen had cut his hand. The low-grade magical artifact, having been imbued with the blood of a Fa Xiang cultivator, immediately took on a golden glow, making it difficult for demons and beasts to approach. Even Mu Xuanling had to take three steps back.
However, using blood as a sword added frost to the snow for Xie Xuechen’s already severely injured body. His thin lips, already pale, now looked even more bloodless.
Xie Xuechen looked at her and said calmly, “You use blood to form an array to protect a beast spirit, I use blood as a sword to protect humans. Our paths are different, but we each have those we need to protect.”
“You have no spiritual power. Even if you summon a blood sword, I have a hundred ways to easily defeat you,” Mu Xuanling stared straight at Xie Xuechen, suddenly pouting and feeling extremely upset. She muttered resentfully, “You’re just relying on the fact that I like you and don’t want to hurt you.”
Xie Xuechen was taken aback.