Bai Zhuixu changed into his battle armor and was ordered to take the Primordial Mirror and leave when he saw his brother standing by the celestial pool, frowning with a troubled expression.

Since the Great Competition, Bai Yuxiao had matured considerably, and his worries had multiplied.

Following his line of sight, Bai Zhuixu saw it was directed toward Mi Chu’s palace.

“Are you worried about her?”

Bai Yuxiao replied gloomily: “Mi Chu left without warning, didn’t even say goodbye to me. Now with so much chaos outside, where demons dare to slaughter immortals, she’s not safe out there.”

“Where do you think she went?” Bai Zhuixu asked.

Bai Yuxiao said, “To the spiritual veins of the Southern Immortal Realm to visit her father, of course.”

Bai Zhuixu gave him a look: “Master Lou returned for a visit just days ago. If Immortal Mi Chu missed her father, she would have gone earlier. She wouldn’t wait until right after Master Lou left to follow him.”

“Brother, what do you mean?” Bai Yuxiao detected a hidden meaning in his brother’s words, and his tone grew cold, “Are you saying Mi Chu is deceiving me?”

Bai Zhuixu remained silent for a long while before saying: “Yuxiao, if you don’t want to hear it, consider it merely my rambling. But these are troubled times. Instead of spending your energy worrying about Immortal Mi Chu, you should focus on reinforcing the border barriers of Kung Sang.”

Bai Yuxiao despised his lecturing manner, as if they were always right and he was always wrong. He said coldly, “My concern for Mi Chu doesn’t interfere with leading troops to patrol Kung Sang. You’re so good to the Young Lord, why can’t you be fair to Mi Chu?”

He wasn’t a fool. He could see that although his brother had a modest temperament, he was unusually cold toward Mi Chu. Others might not notice, but Bai Yuxiao saw it.

Since his birth, people had always compared him to his brother, saying: “Your brother showed exceptional talent in his youth, steady and intelligent. Before he was even a hundred years old, he was already trusted by the Realm Lord. While you are incorrigibly mischievous, unmotivated, like a child who never grows up.”

Whatever his brother did was right; whatever he did was wrong. Bai Yuxiao had never resented Bai Zhuixu, but he had a rebellious streak and liked to do the opposite. The first time he approached Mi Chu was because his brother’s beloved Young Lord had bullied her. He wanted to appear different from his brother in every way, so he extended a hand to Mi Chu. The more his brother protected the Young Lord, the more he insisted on protecting Mi Chu.

Bai Zhuixu sighed and said, “It’s not that I’m unfair to Immortal Mi Chu, it’s that you’re unfair to the Young Lord. Yuxiao, I know what you’re thinking, but have you considered that the Young Lord previously lacked parts of her soul? In terms of magical power and intelligence, she could never compare to Immortal Mi Chu. How could she possibly bully Immortal Mi Chu?”

“She’s the Realm Lord’s daughter, and Mi Chu has a gentle nature, always yielding. What’s wrong with that?”

Bai Zhuixu looked at him steadily: “Is that truly what you think? We grew up together, and you understand them both. You always see Mi Chu cry, but have you ever heard the Young Lord complain to you about her tears?”

Bai Yuxiao was tongue-tied and stubbornly said, “Chi Shui Liu Shuang is so fierce, who could bully her?”

“But she cries too,” said Bai Zhuixu. “At night, alone, hiding under her blanket, she just never lets you see.”

Bai Zhuixu lowered his gaze in recollection: “Once, when you saw her being harsh to Mi Chu, you stood up for Mi Chu and even pushed her. In truth, she had been injured while practicing magic that day, and Mi Chu had accidentally picked her ice jade udumbara flower. She had carefully cultivated it for a year, intending to use it for Lady Zi’s wrist scar.”

Bai Yuxiao stiffened and pressed his lips together in silence.

He remembered that day too. He not only pushed her but also fought with her, although Bai Yuxiao hardly put in any effort, practically just teasing her, watching her get frustrated, waving her arms like a little lion cub. But he didn’t know she was upset, going back to hide under her blanket to cry secretly.

Bai Zhuixu said, “Yuxiao, I’m not denying your worth. Your natural talent surpasses mine, but our personalities differ. You needn’t live under the pressure of our uncles’ expectations, don’t listen to those voices.”

Seeing his brother’s silence, Bai Zhuixu felt somewhat dejected.

Bai Yuxiao had been in a terrible mood lately, likely noticing Mi Chu’s growing distance. Before, he would frequently visit Mi Chu’s chambers, but now she always made excuses to avoid him.

It wasn’t just girls who were sensitive; boys who were just coming of age could also sense when something was amiss. Bai Zhuixu wasn’t usually talkative, but Bai Yuxiao was his closest blood relation. He couldn’t possibly ignore him, fearing that Bai Yuxiao might sink deeper and ultimately get hurt.

“Think about it carefully. During my absence from Kung Sang, take care of Father and Mother, and protect Kung Sang. Yuxiao, take care.”

The young man stood stiffly for a while, and only after his brother’s figure had disappeared into the distance did he say: “Brother, take care out there.”

Bai Yuxiao paused for a long time, then turned his head.

That direction was not only toward Mi Chu’s palace but also… the direction where Ji Shao You had taken Liu Shuang to heal her wounds.

His recent dissatisfaction, irritability, and dejection had begun the day Mi Chu left, but even his brother had forgotten that the day Mi Chu departed was also the day another little immortal boarded the celestial carriage to attend the Four Seas Banquet.

He lowered his head, his eyelashes casting shadows on his eyelids.

Time in the mountains passed differently than in the mortal world. In the blink of an eye, it was already June in the human realm.

Summer had arrived, and as demon blood stained the earth, immortal blood also began to spatter the ground.

Countless demons secretly migrated toward Demon Mountain. It was the only place that had remained untouched during this turbulent period. Some said they had seen a cyan demon bird at the Demon Palace, with wings as large as a palace, capable of spitting ice and creating hurricanes with its wings.

It greatly resembled the ancient Qing Luan demon bird that was thought to exist only in primordial times.

Thus, with the reputation of the Qing Luan demon bird, Demon Mountain gained fame. The demons at the Demon Palace grew more numerous; previously, the palace was empty, but now there wasn’t enough room. The lesser demons helped expand Demon Mountain during the day and voluntarily made floor beds at night.

Originally, they didn’t need to sleep, but after years of hiding among mortals, they had thoroughly learned mortal habits.

Cong Xia entered with light steps, complaining: “What’s going on? There are even those bringing mortal wives to seek refuge. Is the Demon Palace a sanctuary?”

Fu Hang was also at a loss for words and asked the Mountain Lord: “Should we drive away some of the demons?”

Those coming to Demon Mountain were of varying quality, difficult to feed, and soon there would be no place to stay. They thought the Mountain Lord was a kind-hearted person and that the demon bird was the main force against the immortal army, but that wasn’t the case.

The true killer, the great demon, had just finished dressing and emerged from the cold pond.

The little demon bird used to recruit demon generals outside was just a baby demon bird that had matured after consuming precious treasures. If the great demon beckoned to it, it would chirp foolishly.

Yan Chaosheng’s subordinates included many brutes but few strategists. When Yan Chaosheng heard about this situation, he coldly said, “Let them kill immortals. Kill ten, and they can stay at Demon Mountain. If they want to bring family, kill ten more. Demon Mountain doesn’t feed waste. If they cause trouble or complain, chop them up as food for the other demons.”

Cong Xia lowered his head, obediently agreeing, though he greatly admired the cold-mannered man who transformed into a killing machine; he dared not look too much.

In just a few days, the Mountain Lord had grown taller. Before, he had the appearance of a youth, about the same height as Fu Hang, but now he was half a head taller than Fu Hang, and his figure had become more imposing.

Moreover, since returning from Weak Water, he had changed, becoming vicious and merciless, no longer soft-hearted.

The air was filled with a faint bloody scent, and scattered black scales that palace maids would soon come to clean up.

Only insiders knew that he had been particularly irritable lately, his snake scales constantly shedding. The places where scales had fallen off revealed an unhealthy gray color, as his true form had still not stabilized.

No one knew what his true form looked like now, otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent out the demon bird to establish authority in his place.

A few days ago, a female demon left behind by Labor River had attempted to seduce him, accidentally witnessing him shedding scales and transforming. She was eventually torn apart in the palace by the Mountain Lord. Although Cong Xia was eager, after hearing about this incident, he also abandoned any thoughts.

Yan Chaosheng didn’t like anyone seeing his true form.

Fu Hang wasn’t concerned about these matters. What he cared about was: “Demon Mountain’s target is getting bigger. In the past few days, we’ve killed thousands of immortal soldiers, and Demon Mountain is no longer safe. There’s a force of immortal soldiers with a new leader who retreats while fighting, not approaching but intercepting at the foot of the mountain. I heard they’re immortal soldiers from Kung Sang and Chang Liu.” The immortal soldiers from Kung Sang and Chang Liu were responsible for “clearing” their territory.

Yan Chaosheng lowered his eyes, his fingers tightening.

Fu Hang knew clearly that once the immortal clans reacted, Demon Mountain would be the first to face retribution.

And their Mountain Lord, with his Weak Water injury still not fully healed, would find it difficult to resist the true army of the heavenly clans with just a deceptively impressive demon bird and the few great demons at Demon Mountain.

The Mountain Lord needed to heal his wounds, stabilize his true form, and find a magical artifact that could protect Demon Mountain. Otherwise, all of them would have to relocate before the immortal clans could react. He reported the situation of Bai Zhuixu leading troops.

The immortal clans were killing their people, but they couldn’t kill the immortal soldiers because the army was surrounded by an impenetrable barrier.

“It’s a strange mirror,” said Fu Hang.

Yan Chaosheng turned and sat down, lightly tapping his fingers, suddenly smiling and saying: “Since they’ve delivered themselves to our doorstep, they can’t blame me for being discourteous.”

His smile could hardly be described as cheerful; rather, it seemed as if he had remembered something, with a hint of gloom.

Apart from the day he killed someone, Fu Hang had never seen him like this.

Yan Chaosheng tossed the Ten Commandments Ring to him, smiling coldly: “The Primordial Mirror, they probably don’t know how to use it properly. Fu Hang, take people to teach them.”

He cut his hand, allowing fresh blood to flow toward the Ten Commandments Ring.

These immortal clans had likely long forgotten that the Primordial Mirror was originally his father’s treasure, used to control spiritual power and gather the world’s marshes, preventing them from submerging the mortal realm.

It was, after all, an item of the royal family.

Somehow, it had fallen into Bi Xun’s hands, who used it to trap a mortal city. With the Primordial Mirror, the barrier problem for Demon Mountain would be solved.

All that remained was his unstable true form, which needed to be stabilized as soon as possible.

With an unstable true form, he couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be mistakes when truly facing the heavenly clan’s immortal soldiers.

“I’m going to Yao Mountain,” Yan Chaosheng suddenly said.

Yao Mountain? This was a place almost no one had heard of.

Yan Chaosheng tossed an elemental pill to feed the little demon bird nearby, saying lightly: “In ancient times, Shu Shou lived there.”

According to his inherited memories, Shu Shou had perished along with his father’s era thousands of years ago. It was unknown who the master of Yao Mountain would be now.

It didn’t matter; regardless, they would do whatever he wanted.

Shao You supported the weak, transparent girl in his arms and said gently, “Yao Mountain is the place where the western view meets the entrance and exit of the sun. The mountain is covered with purple jade.”

When they arrived, it was just at sunset, with a brilliant evening glow.

Yao Mountain was called a mountain but wasn’t large; rather, it was like a small independent realm separated from the eight wildernesses, neither an immortal realm nor the mortal world.

Shao You took her westward, and after entering Yao Mountain, Liu Shuang indeed saw countless beautiful jades.

There were also various bloodstones, making the small realm unbelievably beautiful, as if stacked with colors.

Immortal cranes couldn’t enter. Shao You said, “I’ll carry you on my back. The master here is Zhan Xue Ying. He has a strange temperament, don’t be afraid when you meet him.”

He seemed at ease, making Liu Shuang feel uncomfortable about being coy. After all, this life was different from her previous one. She had memories, but Shao You had none. As she lay on his back, she remembered when she was very young, he had once carried her on his back along a similar path.

At that time, she had been injured while anxiously trying to retrieve Shao You’s scattered soul fragments. On his back, she had fussed about getting down. Shao You had threatened to throw her off if she kept moving.

“Even my father has never carried me like this,” she had said then, making Shao You’s face darken.

Remembering this, she lay on Shao You’s back and couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Shao You’s spiritual sense was very keen: “What is it?”

She repeated the words, hiding the laughter in her eyes, and sighed: “Shao You, even my father has never carried me like this.”

Shao You, unexpectedly compared to Chi Shui Chong, the young Realm Lord, couldn’t tell if he felt embarrassed or annoyed. He recalled being forced into an arranged marriage with her, learning that the little immortal was too young, always feeling as if he had taken advantage somehow.