However, half a month passed, and Shao You still hadn’t returned.

When Yan Chaosheng went out at night to gather spirit fruits, he received news that something had happened at Kun Lun. The spiritual veins of Kun Lun had experienced major fluctuations, the general guarding the spiritual veins had perished, and countless disciples had died.

This incident triggered the Kun Lun Realm Lord’s old illness, causing him to cough up blood and faint.

At that time, Shao You was still in Dragon Valley.

A long time had passed since ancient times. After Nü Wa created humans, the vessel containing the source of evil in the world became a demon god, and in opposition were the ancient divine clans.

The divine clans sacrificed themselves to fight against the demon gods, and afterward, there were no more gods in the world.

The last daughter of the divine clans and the demon god secluded themselves in the Demon Palace, and there were no more legends about them. Their descendant, that little imperial princess, had her divine and demonic bloodline sealed by her parents. Generations passed, and by now, forget about descendants of the Divine Dragon Clan—all immortal clans were very different from the divine clans of the past. Once, demons had the upper hand over immortals, leaving them without enough spiritual energy to cultivate. Now immortals held sway, leaving demons with no living space.

There were no more gods in the world, nor were there beings born with inherently evil bones. Magical beasts still carrying dragon bloodlines were extremely rare, and those that had survived until now were all cunning creatures, not easy to kill.

Yan Chaosheng put the spirit fruits that had just formed at night into his bosom. When he re-entered Yao Mountain, Zhan Xue Ying was polishing his terrifyingly large axe in the moonlight.

Several sand people sat around him reluctantly. They also wanted to find Liu Shuang, but if Yan Chaosheng saw them, it would be certain death.

“Ji Shao You hasn’t come. Did something happen?” Zhan Xue Ying asked as he put away his axe when he saw Yan Chaosheng return.

Yan Chaosheng briefly explained the situation to him.

Zhan Xue Ying stroked his chin: “I’ve heard that Ji Shao You is the only capable one in Kun Lun now. His father was incredibly powerful in his youth, but after Ji Shao You’s mother died, he developed a heart demon and almost didn’t survive the tribulation. He hasn’t been seen for years.”

“Heart demon?” This was the first time Yan Chaosheng had heard of this.

“Yes,” Zhan Xue Ying smiled, “otherwise, how do you think I’d know Ji Shao You? Thousands of years ago, he once brought the Kun Lun Realm Lord to see me. I saved the Realm Lord’s life, but in truth, the Ji Realm Lord was already finished. At that time, Ji Shao You didn’t seem much older than that little immortal inside, yet he behaved very steadily, single-handedly supporting Kun Lun while keeping this matter hidden from outsiders.”

Zhan Xue Ying recalled: “I had thought that from then on, Kun Lun would begin to decline, or have its spiritual veins divided among other immortal realms. I kept hoping for the spiritual veins to merge, but unexpectedly, he managed to sustain it until now. When Kun Lun’s spiritual veins were insufficient, Ji Shao You used his spiritual power to transform the spiritual springs. Oh, that’s his natural talent.” That’s why Kun Lun’s spiritual veins didn’t dry up as quickly as Kung Sang’s. The spiritual springs could somewhat slow the pace of the spiritual veins’ depletion.

Zhan Xue Ying thought of something and smiled meaningfully: “Your Highness, Ji Shao You must have already returned to Kun Lun to stabilize the situation. In his heart, he never considers his interests; he only lives as Kun Lun’s backbone. Even if he desperately wants to return to save Chi Shui Liu Shuang, he won’t come back. Not just for Chi Shui Liu Shuang—even if someday Kun Lun’s spiritual veins completely dry up and he has to transform into a spiritual vein for the immortal realm’s disciples to draw from, he wouldn’t even blink.”

This youth, who had shouldered the lifeline of an immortal realm too early, wasn’t like Feng Fuming, who had deep family foundations with several generations serving as Heaven Lords. Nor was he like Liu Shuang, who had her father as a support. He only had himself, and Kun Lun only had him.

Both men understood that with such major issues at Kun Lun, Ji Shao You wouldn’t return for the time being.

Yan Chaosheng lowered his eyes as he listened, not showing much expression. When Zhan Xue Ying finished, Yan Chaosheng calmly said, “I also need to leave tomorrow, returning to the Demon Palace.”

Staying here for half a month was already his limit. Every night when he went out, besides gathering spirit fruits, he also communicated with Fu Hang at the Demon Palace.

A major incident had also occurred on Fu Hang’s side. During the process of seizing the Primordial Mirror, that leader called Bai Zhuixu, when forced into a desperate situation, preferred to perish with the Primordial Mirror rather than let it fall into Fu Hang and his companions’ hands.

Now, Bai Zhuixu’s divine soul had merged with the Primordial Mirror, and his soul was about to scatter, which would also destroy the Primordial Mirror. Yan Chaosheng had to leave; he needed this mirror to protect his territory. He would either quickly destroy Bai Yuxiao’s soul or refine him into a tool spirit.

Fu Hang couldn’t do any of this; Yan Chaosheng had to handle it personally.

Zhan Xue Ying pouted and said, “How heartless. Such an adorable little immortal, and you won’t even save her, leaving her in this broken place.”

Yan Chaosheng showed no reaction, keeping the fruits in his bosom as he went inside.

After he left, Zhan Xue Ying caught a purple sapphire sand person from nearby, removed its gemstone eyes, and pressed two blue sapphires onto it.

He examined it from different angles: “Not bad, quite similar to that little spoiled one.”

The one who begged for hugs in front of Liu Shuang.

When Yan Chaosheng arrived, he saw such a scene.

Frost filled the room, but Liu Shuang wasn’t inside. Instead, she sat hugging her knees under a gemstone rock.

Her chin rested on her knees, her eyes covered by the shark-skin gauze. Her face lacked the gentle smile she had shown the “little sand person” during the day; she was lost in thought. The gemstones gleamed with an icy blue light, illuminating a small area around her.

She couldn’t use magic now, nor could she cultivate. Since her seal was broken, she hadn’t slept. On such nights when she could neither see nor hear, with the little sand people gone, she was left alone, sitting in a daze.

In her mind, she painted a picture of the former Cang Lan, the Cang Lan Immortal Realm, where she had created every grass and tree.

They remained so clear to her.

The Night Demon had tricked her into falling into Weak Water, breaking the seal on the Hui Ling Heart. By coincidence, she could no longer, as in her memories, have her soul carry the Hui Ling Heart to the mortal world, and through naive imagination, create these living beings over a hundred years.

She understood that Cang Lan would never return; in this life, it would never be born. This was the world that truly belonged to her; Kung Sang was real.

The Cang Lan she had once shed tears of blood for had perished beneath Weak Water. The living beings of Cang Lan had no true souls; they were all her dispersed power. But when she had not yet awakened and was still “young,” these beings, like protective relatives, accompanied her as she took root, sprouted, and grew.

They had no souls but possessed spiritual intelligence. Liu Shuang could feel that every life loved her deeply.

Now, Cang Lan was destined never to evolve again. In the world, only she would remember Cang Lan.

She didn’t know she was crying.

Having lost her five senses, her tears fell silently without making a sound. She even thought herself strong, merely commemorating and bidding farewell to the past, not feeling particularly sad.

A cool breeze brushed her cheek, but she couldn’t feel it. Nor did she know about the large hand that gently rested on her head afterward.

The price of becoming a little immortal grass was that her heart would become soft and fragile.

She was thinking about Grandpa Tree and Sister Lotus, those memories that were supposed to be happy. She thought she was happy, but her tears unconsciously soaked through the shark-skin gauze.

This was the first time Yan Chaosheng had seen her cry like this.

In his opinion, Chi Shui Liu Shuang had been arrogant when they first met. Later in Tai Chuan City, although she had been afraid, even when Bi Xun nearly killed her, she could still flee with vigor. Beneath Weak Water, when her immortal body was gone—a situation that would have driven anyone else to unbearable pain—she hadn’t cried, sinking quietly.

Yet now, on an ordinary, quiet night, leaning against a faintly glowing stone, tears silently streamed down her face. Since coming up from Weak Water, he had killed so many people, but hadn’t turned his blade toward her. What was she crying about?

Yan Chaosheng slowly crouched down, not knowing what was wrong with her. After a while, he raised his hand and wiped away the crystal tears hanging on her cheeks.

The young woman’s teardrops continued to fall.

He had never seen someone who could cry continuously in a daze, especially when she was unaware. These tears all collected in Yan Chaosheng’s palm, burning him into silence.

What was happening?

She didn’t know that Ji Shao You wouldn’t be returning, or was this the last day, and she had been secretly counting the days until Ji Shao You’s return? Because there was no dragon blood, did she guess that Ji Shao You had abandoned her, and that’s why she was so heartbroken?

After a long silence, Yan Chaosheng cupped her face and patiently wiped away her tears.

Without her five senses, her body was very fragile. Her nose had turned red from crying, and her little face was tinged with pink. He wiped very gently, not quite understanding himself how, during his period of strongest killing desire, he could cup a young woman’s face and wipe her tears.

However long she cried blankly, he let her cry her fill, crouching there with her.

When she finally stopped silently weeping, he picked her up and carried her back to the cottage. When her body was suspended in the air, she sensed something different and came to her senses, momentarily panicking and struggling: “Who is it?”

Yan Chaosheng didn’t speak—she wouldn’t have heard him anyway. Liu Shuang vaguely guessed something and stopped moving, instead tilting her head to “look at him,” various possibilities stirring in her heart.

Yan Chaosheng set her down and gathered spiritual power into his palm, channeling it into her consciousness. He warmed the spiritual power before passing it to her, becoming the only warmth Liu Shuang had felt in these days. She had to admit that this spiritual power was extremely comfortable and gentle, as if gradually soothing her sadness.

She gripped his wrist, asking uncertainly: “Shao You, are you returning?” Among the people she knew, only Shao You would treat her with such tenderness.

Yan Chaosheng showed no expression, pried open her hand, and continued to transmit spiritual power. That spiritual power was so comfortable, like soaking in a hot spring. She was now equivalent to a mortal, and after so many days without sleep, her body had reached its limit.

Liu Shuang tried hard to stay awake but eventually drifted off to sleep, this time sleeping sweetly.

Yan Chaosheng transmitted spiritual power for a while longer, didn’t look at her again, withdrew his hand, and left her cottage.

In the middle of the night, Zhan Xue Ying was originally tinkering with a type of seed that could bloom in Yao Mountain. He was very focused on his work. When someone disturbed him, he opened the door with some irritation, saying impatiently: “What is it, Your Highness?”

The visitor didn’t make a sound but thrust something into his hands.

Zhan Xue Ying looked down—goodness, a large barrel of blood! Filled to the brim, if it were mortal blood, the person would have been completely drained.

The bloody scent mingled in the air, giving off a rich demonic aura. Zhan Xue Ying looked at Yan Chaosheng’s slightly pale face and asked in a strange tone: “Your blood?”

Yan Chaosheng coldly said, “No, dragon blood from a magical beast that Ji Shao You had someone deliver.”

Zhan Xue Ying was momentarily speechless, staring at the large barrel of demon blood. In the dim morning light, it carried a faint silver color, barely perceptible, enough to condense the dragon blood needed for Zhan Xue Ying to make the medicinal pill.

Yan Chaosheng calmly said, “My true form has stabilized. I’m leaving.”

At that moment, the sky over Yao Mountain was just beginning to lighten. Zhan Xue Ying watched his retreating figure, smelled the rich demonic blood scent, and for the first time, couldn’t muster any anger.