Su Ningzhen’s demeanor seemed both manic and deranged, alternating between crying and laughing. She mercilessly tore open the wounds she had hidden in her heart for twenty years, shattering the serene facade of Mirror Flower Valley. Her heart was filled with pain and hatred. Seeing the dark, uncomfortable expressions on the faces of the elders, she felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
“Hahahahaha…” Su Ningzhen let out a hoarse laugh, her eyes revealing mocking hatred. “So they never saw us as human beings… My sister was just a vessel for them to nurture their precious pearl!”
Sang Qi clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms as blood seeped through his fingers. It felt as if a barbed weapon had been thrust into his heart, repeatedly pulling and tearing at his flesh, causing him unbearable pain. A crimson killing intent flashed in his silver eyes as he closed them, his eyelashes trembling. His hatred and pain had reached their peak, and two lines of blood tears flowed from his eyes.
He had never known… He had never known that Ning Xi had endured all of this. He had failed to protect her and had even been deceived into hating her for so many years. She had died because of him, yet even in death, she could not find peace!
He had never regretted massacring Mingyue Manor, but now he regretted letting Gao Fengxu die too easily that day!
“Ningzhen, that’s enough, stop talking…” the Grand Elder sighed sorrowfully and closed her eyes, unable to bear hearing more.
Su Ning Xi and Su Ningzhen had grown up under her watch. In Mirror Flower Valley, everyone loved Ning Xi. She was gentle, intelligent, and considerate, with a touch of endearing wit. She cared for everyone around her with meticulous attention, like a spring breeze in March or April, warming even the coldest hearts. Back then, when Venerable Miaohua secretly made a deal with Gao Fengxu, they only knew that Ning Xi had found a good home. Later, when they heard she had died in childbirth, they thought it was just bad luck. They never imagined there were such sordid affairs hidden behind it all.
Regardless, they still had to consider Mirror Flower Valley’s reputation and didn’t want Su Ningzhen to continue exposing these matters.
But Su Ningzhen had already spoken, and she no longer had any reservations. She looked at the Grand Elder with a cold smile and said, “You can’t bear to hear it? Well, I saw it with my own eyes… That was my sister, she was already dead, and I had to watch them cut her open!”
She then turned her gaze to Gao Qiumin, who was already stunned. Upon meeting Su Ningzhen’s gaze, she shuddered and instinctively tried to back away. But Su Ningzhen continued as if talking to herself, “Later, her belly grew day by day. After ten months, Master cut open her stomach again. At that moment, the room was filled with dazzling light, so bright it was hard to open one’s eyes. When the light faded, Master took you out of my sister’s womb, but the Chaos Pearl had disappeared. Gao Fengxu verified your bloodline, confirming that you were connected to him. He was overjoyed, thinking that his essence had merged with the Chaos Pearl to form you, and he had high hopes for you. But your attitude turned out to be so ordinary…”
Su Ningzhen’s breathing became heavy. She slowly shifted her gaze, searching for Mu Xuanling’s figure, and saw that she had escaped from Sang Qi’s control and returned to Xie Xuecheng’s side.
“It wasn’t until yesterday that I understood. We’ve all been deceived all these years… The Chaos Pearl didn’t merge with Gao Fengxu’s essence, nor did it disappear. It escaped. That blinding light wasn’t a sign of Qiumin’s birth, but the manifestation of the Chaos Pearl! It escaped in that flash of light, and all of us thought it was hidden inside Qiumin…” Su Ningzhen laughed hoarsely, staring directly at Mu Xuanling. Everyone followed her gaze as she said each word slowly and clearly, “Mu Xuanling is the true Chaos Pearl!”
This revelation was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving everyone frozen in shock. All eyes turned to Mu Xuanling in disbelief, some suspicious, some greedy, trying to find traces of the Chaos Pearl in her.
Mu Xuanling looked at Su Ningzhen in a daze. Her words seemed to blow away all the mist like a sudden gust of wind, and countless fragmented images flashed through Mu Xuanling’s mind. She seemed to recall events from when she was very young, being wrapped in warm liquid, with life force constantly flowing into her body, making her feel safe and comfortable as she gradually regained consciousness. She vaguely remembered opening her eyes and seeing a pair of small hands clinging tightly to her, trying to compete for the life force. Suddenly, a light shone in, and she eagerly broke free from those hands, flying towards the outside…
Su Ningzhen said, “Qiumin once mentioned that Mu Xuanling had demonic markings on her face as a child, and those markings were identical to the symbols on the Chaos Pearl!”
Mu Xuanling raised her hand to touch her smooth, fair left cheek—so those weren’t demonic markings after all?
Her true form… was the Chaos Pearl…
A warm, strong hand grasped her cold one. Mu Xuanling looked up slightly to see Xie Xuecheng’s determined, sharp phoenix eyes. He looked down at her and called softly, “Ling’er.”
He embraced her slender shoulders from behind, protecting her in his arms. His embrace brought her warmth and a sense of security, but she still felt lost and confused. “So I’m not human, nor am I a half-demon…”
So she had no spirit aperture, no demon core. The so-called demonic markings were the imprint of the Chaos Pearl, and the demonic aura was merely the essence of the Chaos Pearl. No one in this world knew the true nature of the Chaos Pearl’s essence, and their preconceived notions and narrow-mindedness had blinded them. They had mistaken the world’s most supreme treasure for a worthless trinket, discarding it like trash.
Xie Xuecheng’s chest pressed against her trembling back, his steady, strong heartbeat slowly calming her unease.
“Ling’er, you are a unique treasure in this world.”
Su Ningzhen stared at Mu Xuanling with greed and madness. “Yes… she is a unique, supreme treasure. She is the Chaos Pearl and has absorbed Ning Xi’s life force. If we capture her, we can resurrect Ning Xi!”
The last four words jolted Sang Qi out of his daze.
“Resurrect Ning Xi…” Sang Qi’s eyes lit up again, as if a gust of wind had blown over burnt paper ash, revealing tiny sparks of fire.
“Sang Qi, I know you want Ning Xi to live too. Capturing Mu Xuanling is our only hope!” Su Ningzhen trembled as she got up from the ground, but she had already used all her strength in her previous attack and was likely unable to fight again. She could only try to ally with Sang Qi.
Sang Qi asked hoarsely, “Where is Ning Xi’s remains?”
Su Ningzhen replied, “In Star Sinking Valley… buried under that thousand-year-old tree.”
Sang Qi slowly stood up, clenching his fist, his silver eyes reflecting Mu Xuanling’s pale face.
“Ling’er, the reason I noticed you seven years ago was because you had a faint trace of Ning Xi’s aura…” Sang Qi walked towards her step by step.
Mu Xuanling instinctively shrank back a step. Sang Qi had planted a spirit suppression in her consciousness, preventing her from harboring any thoughts of rebellion or killing him. Xie Xuecheng gripped her arm, his phoenix eyes keenly watching Sang Qi.
Sang Qi coughed, traces of blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. He weakly tugged at the corners of his lips, revealing a bitter smile.
“But you’re not like her… What I saw in you was myself. I even thought, if Ning Xi and I had a child, would they be like you? That’s why, even knowing you harbored hostility towards me, I… never truly wanted to kill you…”
Ling’er was just like him, both half-demons, alone and helpless, both harboring someone in their hearts they couldn’t reach, knowing it was like a moth flying into a flame, yet persisting regardless of the consequences. What he saw in Ling’er was himself, so even though he knew she harbored hostility towards him, he couldn’t help but feel some pity and tolerance for her. He had been alone in this world for too long, so he cherished every bit of hard-earned warmth and companionship.
Mu Xuanling looked at him in surprise, her clear eyes misting over as she stared at Sang Qi’s pale, haggard face.
—Sang Qi, I would be sad to see you die too…
Hearing these words, he was not unmoved. It turned out they were the same; even with hatred in their hearts, they still couldn’t bring themselves to be ruthless because of a little warmth. Just as he had misunderstood Ning Xi for so many years, hating her and hating himself, yet still unwilling to drink the Heart Enlightenment Potion to completely erase his feelings for her. And Ling’er, thinking Xie Xuecheng had died because of him, had been determined to kill him for revenge, but after so many years together, calling him Master, she ultimately couldn’t bear to see him die.
“Sang Qi, you are not a heartless person, otherwise Su Ning Xi would not have fallen in love with you,” Xie Xuecheng said steadily, looking directly at Sang Qi. “Sacrificing Ling’er may not necessarily bring Su Ning Xi back. Do you want to do this?”
Sang Qi’s gaze moved from Mu Xuanling’s face to Xie Xuecheng’s silver eyes, revealing a strange expression—three parts mockery, seven parts sudden realization.
“But what if she could…” Sang Qi suddenly understood many things. So the miraculous nature of the Jade Threshold Scripture wasn’t in Xie Xuecheng, and the power of All Things Born wasn’t in the scripture either. Seven years ago, when Xie Xuecheng’s spirit aperture was destroyed and he should have died, why did he come back to life, rebuild himself, and become the strongest swordsman in history, even able to unleash that heavenly sword strike that shouldn’t belong to humans?
The answer was all in Mu Xuanling.
No, it was all in the Chaos Pearl.
Perhaps even Ling’er herself wasn’t fully aware. She knew nothing about her power, only acting on instinct.
“Ling’er…” Sang Qi softened his hoarse voice and said gently, “I can’t give up the last hope of resurrecting Ning Xi… Come here, I won’t harm your life.”
Mu Xuanling’s body moved, involuntarily walking towards him, but Xie Xuecheng held her shoulder and pushed her behind him.
“Sang Qi, you’ve fallen into demonic cultivation,” Xie Xuecheng said coldly, looking at Sang Qi. “I won’t let you harm her in the slightest.”
Xie Xuecheng didn’t believe that miracles could happen without a price. Feng Xiang was the best example. To resurrect someone who had been dead for twenty years was no easy feat. Going against the heavens would surely bring retribution. He would never let Ling’er take such a risk.
Sang Qi stared intently at Xie Xuecheng, his eyes gradually turning cold. “No one can stop me…”
With that, Sang Qi reached out his left hand towards Mu Xuanling, his spiritual power condensing into a whip lashing towards her. However, a sword blocked his attack. Xie Xuecheng, holding the heavy sword Wan Ren, had his arm numbed by Sang Qi’s attack, but he resolutely protected Mu Xuanling behind him.
Sang Qi was shocked, thinking Xie Xuecheng had recovered his spiritual power, but then realized this wasn’t the case. If Xie Xuecheng had recovered his spiritual power, he would be holding the Jun Tian sword, not Wan Ren. Moreover, there was no spiritual power fluctuation when he blocked that attack…
Sang Qi immediately understood that Xie Xuecheng must have temporarily regained his physical strength through some means, but hadn’t recovered his spiritual power. He could only resist with his physical body.
“You’re no match for me with just your flesh and blood,” Sang Qi said hoarsely.
“Let’s see about that,” Xie Xuecheng stood with his sword across his body, his tone calm. In his heart, there was only one thought—to shield the person behind him from all the storms of this world, even at the cost of his life!
Sang Qi’s expression became solemn, not daring to underestimate his opponent. With only his left arm remaining, he had to give his all to win. His fierce attacks came as swift as lightning, each strike aimed at Xie Xuecheng’s vital points. Xie Xuecheng’s swordsmanship was unparalleled in the world.
His defense was like a vast net, seemingly loose but impenetrable, while his offense was like a storm of wind and snow, finding every opening. The sword aura was so formidable that it forced Sang Qi to retreat half a step. Sang Qi avoided the sword’s edge and transformed his spiritual power into arrows, shooting towards Xie Xuecheng like thunderbolts.
Each time Xie Xuecheng blocked an attack, his right arm was shaken with intense pain and numbness, but his phoenix eyes remained clear and sharp, showing no sign of retreat. The spiritual arrows came like rain, eventually breaking through his defense. They landed on his body, leaving spots of crimson on his flawless white robe. One arrow grazed below his eye, leaving a glaring wound on his fair and handsome face, with thin streams of blood seeping from the injury.
Mu Xuanling’s heart tightened, and she wanted to step forward to help, but someone grabbed her wrist.
“Ling’er, quick, run!” Nan Xuyue’s worried and urgent voice rang out as he tightly gripped Mu Xuanling’s wrist, trying to lead her away from this place.
Mu Xuanling resolutely broke free from Nan Xuyue’s grasp, holding Duan Nian in her hand. “I’m going to help him!”
“Your spiritual power is depleted. You’re no match for Sang Qi,” Nan Xuyue blocked her path, firmly standing in her way. “Sect Leader Xie is risking his life to hold off Sang Qi so you can escape. Don’t waste his efforts.”
“Get out of my way!” Mu Xuanling’s eyes flashed with fury, angry at Nan Xuyue for the first time. “Don’t force me to hurt you!”
Suppressing the pain in his heart, Nan Xuyue said hoarsely, “He took the Jade Shattering Pill and told me to take you away.”
“What?” Mu Xuanling was stunned. “What’s the Jade Shattering Pill?”
“Better to shatter like jade than remain whole as a tile. It burns one’s lifespan in exchange for the power to fight again, but it can’t restore the sealed spirit aperture,” Nan Xuyue said bitterly. “He anticipated needing to use All Things Born against Sang Qi, so he asked me for the Jade Shattering Pill and instructed me to take you away if things became desperate.”
Xie Xuecheng had thought Sang Qi wouldn’t try to kill Mu Xuanling, but he never imagined Su Ningzhen would reveal Mu Xuanling’s identity as the Chaos Pearl. Sang Qi, realizing he had misunderstood Su Ning Xi for twenty years and learning of her sufferings today, lost control of his mind. His inner demon resurfaced, and to resurrect Su Ning Xi, Sang Qi was willing to do anything.
Mu Xuanling stared blankly at the two entangled figures. The spotless white robe was now stained with glaring red, like plum blossoms blooming in the snow, tragic and resolute.
—Ling’er, don’t be afraid…
—Ling’er, you must be well…
The scene from seven years ago suddenly crashed into her mind, overlapping with the current scene.
Her slender shoulders trembled uncontrollably, fear and despair spreading through her heart, suffocating her.
“Nan Xuyue, thank you for telling me…” Her voice was faint but gradually became firm. “I know what to do now.”
Hearing this, Nan Xuyue was delighted and moved forward to take her away, but Mu Xuanling struck his chest with her palm, sending him flying back into the barrier. As he watched Mu Xuanling rush towards Sang Qi without hesitation, he suddenly understood her decision.
The world before him seemed to slow down. He saw the golden core clutched in her palm—it was Venerable Yi Nian’s golden core.
—She’s going to detonate Venerable Yi Nian’s golden core to severely injure Sang Qi.
—But facing the explosion head-on, she’ll die!
—No, the jade pendant I gave her should be enough to block this attack.
Many thoughts flashed through Nan Xuyue’s mind in an instant. His heart had just risen only to fall again.
Seeing that Mu Xuanling hadn’t fled but was running towards him, Sang Qi frowned in surprise, unsure whether to be happy or sad.
Mu Xuanling swung Duan Nian at him, but Sang Qi easily caught it. “Ling’er, I told you you couldn’t hurt me, especially not with the weapon I gave you.”
Duan Nian immediately betrayed Mu Xuanling, breaking free from her hand and wrapping it around her waist, dragging her towards Sang Qi. Mu Xuanling didn’t struggle. When Sang Qi grabbed her arm, she also clutched his clothes.
Xie Xuecheng’s breath caught, and he shouted fiercely, “Ling’er!”
He saw that beautiful face turn to him with a faint, loving smile. Her slightly parted lips seemed to say something, but he couldn’t hear it. All he heard was a deafening explosion that shook the entire Mirror Flower Valley, causing spiritual energy to boil and distort.
BOOM—
Xie Xuecheng was violently pushed back by the intense wave, his chest heaving, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his lips, but he wasn’t severely injured.
He raised his head in a daze, looking towards the spot not far ahead.
That slender, fragile figure was blown into the air, like a late spring flower caught in the wind, its petals scattering in the air before gently falling to the dust. Blood spread beneath her, turning the grass-covered ground into a vivid red. Only her face remained as pale as paper.
Xie Xuecheng slowly widened his eyes, seeming to realize something yet unable to believe what he saw. Wan Ren fell to the ground with a clang. He forgot about the sword in his hand and ran towards her without stopping.
“Ling’er!” Xie Xuecheng trembled as he cradled her shoulders, gently holding her in his arms.
Mu Xuanling’s chest and abdomen had suffered a heavy blow, leaving a horrific wound. Blood flowed from the injury like water, the warm blood draining the warmth and life from her body. She tried hard to raise her hand to touch Xie Xuecheng, but even using all her strength, she could only move her fingertips. As soon as she opened her mouth, blood gushed from the corners of her lips, choking her throat.
She had so many things she wanted to tell him… so many things she hadn’t done…
It turned out she wasn’t a half-demon… they could have had many, many children…
Mu Xuanling frowned, a hot tear rolling from the corner of her eye.
—Big brother, this time let Ling’er protect you…
“How could this be…” Nan Xuyue staggered towards her, his handsome face drained of color. He clutched his chest and fell to his knees halfway, blood dripping from the corner of his lips. He struggled to raise his head, and in his blurry vision, he saw the heavy sword abandoned by its master, and beside it, the shattered jade pendant.
“So, she secretly gave you the jade pendant…” Nan Xuyue realized, laughing bitterly, tightly clenching his hand before letting it go weakly…
He was wrong…
He could have prevented all of this…
He thought he had calculated everything, but he had miscalculated the human heart…
“Ling’er, you’ll be fine.” Xie Xuecheng said in a trembling voice, his left hand trying to cover the wound on her abdomen, but to no avail. The continuously gushing blood soaked his trembling left hand, scalding his palm. He frantically took out a medicine bottle, pouring out a pill glowing with precious light, trying to feed it into her mouth. Her pale lips were slightly parted, and the pill entered her mouth, but she had no strength to swallow. He lowered his head to kiss her cold lips, trying to push the pill down her throat.
But he felt the soft body in his arms growing cold, its life force extinguished, its breath gone.
Xie Xuecheng remained motionless, his lips pressed against hers. His deep, dark phoenix eyes lost their luster, reflecting her pale and peaceful face. Just moments ago, she had been smiling at him, her arms around his neck, murmuring his name over and over.
“Ling’er…” His voice was low and tender, suppressing pain and trembling, trying to wake her, to make her open her eyes, but receiving no response.
“She won’t die, how could she possibly die!” Su Ningzhen stared at Mu Xuanling with her last breath, shouting hoarsely, “She’s the Chaos Pearl, and she received Ning Xi’s life force. How could she die so easily! Don’t try to deceive me!”
Xie Xuecheng held Mu Xuanling tightly, his cold gaze turning to Su Ningzhen. The icy killing intent in his phoenix eyes made Su Ningzhen freeze suddenly, feeling the threat of death.
Su Ningzhen suddenly felt a sharp pain in her back. Looking down, she saw only the tip of a sword piercing through her heart, dripping with her own heart’s blood.
“It should be you who dies,” came Nan Xuyue’s cold voice from behind. In his hand, he held Wan Ren.
Su Ningzhen opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound. Large amounts of blood gushed from her mouth.
Gao Qiumin let out a shrill cry of grief and rushed towards Su Ningzhen.
“Master, Master…” She held Su Ningzhen’s fallen body, calling out helplessly and desperately. She didn’t know whether to hate her or not. Her birth had been just a dirty conspiracy. She had thought herself a dragon among men, born noble, but it turned out no one had truly cared about her. But in these twenty years, at least this person before her had truly loved her, even if it was out of guilt towards Su Ning Xi, she had given her everything…
“Master, don’t die…” Gao Qiumin held Su Ningzhen’s corpse and wept uncontrollably, having lost her only support in this world…
Nan Xuyue dragged his heavy, stumbling steps towards Mu Xuanling, not sparing a glance at Su Ningzhen and Gao Qiumin. He slowly knelt beside her, lowering his head, his hand trembling as he touched her pulse.
“Impossible…” Nan Xuyue murmured in confusion, “She shouldn’t have died…”
He had calculated all the heavenly secrets and fates, why hadn’t he foreseen this?
The one who should have died was Xie Xuecheng, not Ling’er…
Where had he gone wrong?
Sang Qi struggled to sit up, his silver hair now completely white, his silver eyes devoid of spirit. He stared blankly at the lifeless Mu Xuanling, vaguely recalling her calling him “Master” with smiles and tears.
Had she died?
It turned out that seeing her die made him so sorrowful…
“Ling’er…” Sang Qi’s voice was weak and hoarse, unable to hide his grief. “It shouldn’t be like this…”
“Sang Qi.” Xie Xuecheng’s voice trembled. “You killed her.”
“It was me…” Sang Qi smiled bitterly, his hand covering his lips but unable to stop the hot blood he was vomiting. His dim eyes looked at Xie Xuecheng. “Or perhaps it was you… Perhaps seven years ago, when she saved you, she exhausted all her life force.”
“What?” Xie Xuecheng looked at Sang Qi in shock and confusion. “Seven years ago… Ling’er saved me?”
“So you forgot.” Sang Qi laughed hoarsely. “Seven years ago, at Mingyue Manor, when you destroyed your spirit aperture, it was Ling’er who saved you… Yes, from the first time I saw her, I never saw any demonic markings. I suppose she gave everything to you.”
Xie Xuecheng lowered his phoenix eyes, lost in thought. His hands holding Mu Xuanling, those hands that were the steadiest and most powerful sword-wielding hands in the world, now trembled uncontrollably.
“She never mentioned it…”
Seven years ago, at Mingyue Manor, his memory was a blank, unable to recall what had happened. So he and Ling’er had met long ago, and Ling’er had saved him, but she had never mentioned it. So that day at Rong Yuan wasn’t their first meeting. The bits and pieces after that, her loving and dependent gaze towards him, were feelings of longing planted seven years ago…
But he had completely forgotten, and only she remembered…
Xie Xuecheng’s heart twisted in pain, his eyes stinging and sour. He lowered his head to bury his face in her neck, his trembling shoulders betraying his suppressed grief. A choked sob escaped his throat.
“Ling’er…”
Sang Qi closed his eyes in pain.
He had lost Ning Xi, and now he had lost Ling’er. He had prided himself on his intelligence, yet had been deceived all his life. He had cultivated supreme divine skills, yet had ultimately been used…
He had never intended to kill Ling’er, nor did he want to be her enemy. That’s why he had restricted her, preventing her from harming him. But he never imagined she would embrace the thought of suicide, perishing together with him.
Sang Qi had exhausted everything to block that strike, but in the end, it only bought him a quarter of an hour’s breath. His life force was depleted, his silver hair all white, his breath feeble. Dragging his broken body, he left without looking back.
If he only had a quarter of an hour left, he wanted… to go to Star Sinking Valley, to see Ning Xi one last time…
He walked with difficulty, leaving a trail of bloody footprints, stumbling to that tree. He fell to his knees, reaching out with his pale left hand to dig into the soil beneath the tree. Blood mixed with tears, dripping into the earth.
His left hand was covered in soil and blood, full of scrapes and bruises. Finally, he touched the hard jade coffin. A glimmer flashed in his silver eyes, but it was the last glimmer of his life.
His body fell forward powerlessly, his pale face pressing against the cold jade coffin. His fingertips trembled as they caressed the coffin. His bloodstained thin lips parted, silently and tenderly calling out—Ning Xi…
—Ning Xi, I made one mistake and then another, leading to this day, covered in blood debts, harming others and myself…
—I’ve come to see you, but I no longer have the face to meet you…
He touched the cold jade coffin, yet in his delirium, it felt as if he was caressing her delicate face, her smiling eyes. She took his hand off her own accord, kissing his eyes, her soft arms around his shoulders, her forehead against his as she softly murmured his name.
—I love Sang Qi the most…
In this world of countless people, to have just one person love him so was enough…
Yet he had left her alone here for twenty whole years, not fulfilling a single promise he had made to her.
—Ning Xi, if there’s a next life, could you… favor me once more…
In his final moments, he dispelled his demonic cultivation. Wisps of demonic energy dissipated from his body, leaving behind only a corpse. Perhaps this way, he could meet her in the underworld with a clean slate.
But in the end, he was unable to see her one last time.