Yan Chaosheng’s death pushed the demons’ fury and grief to the extreme.

Fu Hang had followed Yan Chaosheng all the way, knowing the emotions with which his lord had fought so desperately to reach Kung Sang, only to die under the formation of his beloved.

Fu Hang’s heart was filled with pain and hatred. He gritted his teeth and said: “Chi Shui Liu Shuang, don’t pretend to be kind!”

How could these sanctimonious immortals possibly let them go?

With Qing Luan’s condition also poor, Fu Hang understood they couldn’t escape.

Liu Shuang didn’t look at him. Her Spirit Merging veil had been lowered by the sea wind from the Wilderness Abyss, revealing her beautiful face. She was pale, without a smile, appearing ice-cold.

She said: “Father, you promised me…”

Chi Shui Chong didn’t speak. He had indeed promised Liu Shuang that today they would set up a formation to trap Yan Chaosheng without harming the other demons. But in the current situation, if they released these demons, how would the other immortals view them?

Chi Shui Chong assumed Liu Shuang couldn’t see the current situation clearly and still wanted to act willfully. He knew that killing these demons would better protect Liu Shuang and preserve Kung Sang’s reputation in the Eight Wildernesses.

Chi Shui Chong waved his hand, ignoring Liu Shuang—this was an order to kill.

Bai Yuxiao, nearby, accepted the order and thrust toward Fu Hang. However, before he reached Fu Hang, an ice-blue decorated pearl umbrella blocked him, shielding these demons.

With a “zing” sound, the pearl umbrella blocked the immortal sword as Bai Yuxiao met Liu Shuang’s gaze.

Among so many people present, everyone knew that the Second Young Master Bai probably hated demons the most, both before and especially now. His elder brother had died surrounded by demons.

At this moment, as Bai Yuxiao’s weapon clashed with Liu Shuang’s, he looked at this girl who barely reached his shoulder, pale-faced yet stubborn with pressed lips. After a moment of silence, he glanced at the demons she was protecting, tugged at his lips, and transmitted a message: “Why aren’t you leaving yet? Are you waiting to die?”

The demons looked at each other in confusion, realizing this immortal realm youth didn’t truly want to kill them, and they hurriedly left.

Earlier, to lure Yan Chaosheng, the paths had been cleared of immortal soldiers, and now this became their escape route.

Liu Shuang looked up at Bai Yuxiao, her lips moving slightly as she said softly: “Thank you.”

Bai Yuxiao looked at her without speaking. He withdrew his weapon and said to Chi Shui Chong: “This subject will pursue these remnant evils.”

The other immortal lords exchanged glances, unsure of what to say. The ritual official stood awkwardly in the great hall, not knowing if the interrupted Spirit Merging ceremony should continue.

Chi Shui Chong had never intended to push Liu Shuang too hard. Yan Chaosheng’s death today was already an unexpected gain for him, so he tacitly agreed.

At this moment, Shao You stepped forward and said, “Everyone, I apologize. Please return for now. The Spirit Merging ceremony is temporarily canceled.”

His appearance surprised everyone.

Some couldn’t help wondering what Jimo Shao You meant—after obtaining the spiritual vein, did he want to break off the engagement? And why didn’t Liu Shuang kill these demons? What was she trying to do?

Shao You ignored their discussions and Chi Shui Chong’s suddenly darkened expression. He walked toward the lonely figure of the young woman in the hall.

“Liu Shuang, come, I’ll take you to rest.”

He held Liu Shuang’s hand like a child who had abandoned everything. Her whole body trembled slightly, either from having to face the upcoming chaos or from sadness over Yan Chaosheng’s death.

He walked alongside Liu Shuang without any hint of romance, simply bearing with her the disapproving gazes of everyone.

Sometimes, doing the right thing means going against the crowd and being reviled by the Eight Wildernesses.

But what of it?

Every heaven-favored child born in the Eight Wildernesses, every ancient bloodline passed down through the four great immortal clans—they were born with extraordinary talents and given the best of everything, yet they also carried even heavier missions.

Not just he and Liu Shuang, but Feng Fuming and Ji Xianghan as well—everyone was the same.

Including Yan Chaosheng. Living in this era of turmoil between immortals and demons, no one was truly free to choose their path. But one day, peace would return, and the Eight Wildernesses would usher in another golden age.

Yan Chaosheng was dead.

He died before spring arrived in the human realm. When Feng Fuming received the news, he raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, neither surprised nor unsurprised.

That day, Yan Chaosheng had desperately escaped with a few subordinates, wounded. Feng Fuming’s people reportedly saw him at the Demon Palace.

This had made the usually cautious Feng Fuming hesitant to act rashly.

Only after the Spirit Merging ceremony ended did Mi Chu find an opportunity to send out the news.

Feng Fuming curved his lips. The last bloodline of the Xiangyao royal clan had disappeared from the world, meaning his era had truly begun.

He lazily ordered, “Since that’s the case, kill everyone in the Demon Palace.”

The resilient barrier of the Demon Palace only lasted three days. On the fourth day, the Primal Mirror was about to shatter and could no longer hold. Su Lun shook his head with a sigh, put away the cracked Primal Mirror, and sighed: “Flee. Escape as many as you can, as far as you can.”

Su Lun casually looked back and saw Cong Xia’s eyes filled with grief.

“You should leave, too.”

Cong Xia bit her lip and asked Su Lun: “Do you think the Mountain Lord is dead?” She couldn’t believe it.

Su Lun lowered his eyes and said softly: “Yes, he’s dead.”

Immortal soldiers broke in, causing devastation. A heavy snowfall finally arrived, covering the demons’ bloodstains.

Shao You brought Liu Shuang back to Kun Lun.

Things spinning out of control was something no one had anticipated. Liu Shuang had insisted on letting Fu Hang, Qing Luan, and the others go. Staying in Kung Sang would do no good.

Chi Shui Chong’s generation had held power for too long. Anyone who heard the prophecy that demons would eventually rise would not want to relinquish their power.

Shao You had thought Liu Shuang would be sad for a long time. On the day of the Spirit Merging, she didn’t look well.

“Rest well for a while. Things might still turn around.”

“Shao You, don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

Was she fine?

When Yan Chaosheng died, even Shao You, watching from a distance, found it heart-wrenching, let alone Liu Shuang, who was directly involved. He knew she hadn’t meant to kill him, but the world didn’t know that, nor did the demons.

The immortals now praised her merit in killing the demon lord, while the demons undoubtedly hated Liu Shuang as much as they hated Feng Fuming.

Shao You had a feeling that Liu Shuang wouldn’t stay in Kun Lun for long and would do everything possible to make amends.

Sure enough, the next day, when Liu Shuang heard that Feng Fuming was leading troops to attack the Demon Palace, she decided to leave Kun Lun.

“Liu Shuang,” Shao You called out to her, “don’t go. I can do what you want to do.”

She was startled, then shook her head, revealing a faint smile: “I want to go myself. Even if the Demon God is destined to descend one day, I want to have the power to deal with it. Shao You, I might be gone for a long time. Take good care of yourself. If anything happens in Kun Lun, you can call for me anytime.”

She was like a flower on a cliff—roots broken and damaged, but showing no outward signs, stubbornly standing there, growing upward.

Shao You felt that after the incident with Yan Chaosheng, something about her had changed.

Shao You didn’t know what Yan Chaosheng meant to Liu Shuang. He could see that the demon truly loved her, with the desperate determination of a moth flying into fire. Few people could remain unmoved by such emotions.

Shao You suddenly felt a bit envious of Yan Chaosheng. He never thought he’d one day envy a demon. Since his mother had “abandoned” Kun Lun and his father had been struck by heavenly lightning, Shao You had never lived a day for himself. He envied Yan Chaosheng’s ability to express love so directly, and he envied the demons’ domineering and obsessive nature, allowing him to die for Liu Shuang in such a way.

But he understood that compared to Liu Shuang, who was gradually becoming stronger, Kun Lun needed him more. If he were to die someday, it would certainly be in battle for Kun Lun, shedding his last drop of blood. He could never be like Yan Chaosheng, loving someone unreservedly, madly, and passionately.

Liu Shuang waved to him and left.

She was gone for three years. Shao You often sent her messages. With paper cranes flying back one after another, he generally understood Liu Shuang’s current life.

She was both nurturing Bai Zhuixu’s soul and trying to find Yan Chaosheng’s scattered soul, though without success.

She had also asked Shao You to borrow ancient demon and ghost texts from the collection.

Shao You finally couldn’t help asking her: “Do you still want to save him?”

After several days, she replied: “Just trying.”

Shao You didn’t ask further whether it was for the destiny of the demon tribe or for the blood tears he shed as he lay prostrate at her feet that day.

“Alright, I’ll try to help you look.”

After Yan Chaosheng’s death, the Demon Palace fell into chaos. People were anxious, but before Feng Fuming could annihilate them, many of these demons disappeared, as if vanishing into thin air, escaping harm.

Shao You had divined this, and the hexagrams pointed in the direction of the Ghost Realm. He had a strange feeling that Liu Shuang was behind this, although on the surface, the female demon doing all this seemed to be called Cong Xia.

Shao You erased these traces. In the world, only the Jimo clan had innate divination powers. As long as Shao You didn’t speak, Feng Fuming would never know.

Fu Hang didn’t return. After escaping from Kung Sang, he and several others disappeared together.

Feng Fuming began slaughtering demons throughout the world. Those who couldn’t escape in time died silently.

Time in the human realm passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, flowers bloomed and withered for another year, but for immortals, it was merely the snap of a finger.

Unable to find demons, Feng Fuming turned his attention to the great immortal realms. The first he targeted was the Ji clan’s Chang Liu.

He didn’t intend to distribute spiritual veins to the Ji clan but demanded they surrender their spiritual veins to the Heavenly Tribe, becoming subjects and citizens of the Feng clan from then on.

Everyone thought Ji Xianghan would resist, but surprisingly, she raised her hands in surrender, agreeing to all of Feng Fuming’s conditions. This situation was understandable—the Ji clan’s spiritual vein was also about to dry up.

But no one expected Ji Xianghan to give up so decisively. From then on, a great immortal realm silently disappeared, merging under the Heavenly Lord’s banner.

After this news spread, the immortal clan was in an uproar.

Who would be next—Kun Lun or Kung Sang?

It was at this time that Chi Shui Chong demanded that Shao You join under his command, serve him as lord, and resist Feng Fuming.

When Wo Jiang heard the news, he laughed angrily: “Have all the immortal realms now learned to be as shameless as Feng Fuming? In the past, such actions at least had a fig leaf of decency. Now, like vicious dogs fighting over food, everyone wants to taste what it’s like to be the true Heavenly Lord. Young Lord, what should we do?”

What should they do?

Liu Shuang had been right. With the demon tribe retreating from the historical tide of the Eight Wildernesses and the ambitious Feng Fuming taking power, the situation in the Eight Wildernesses would eventually become uncontrollable. The immortal clan, filled with inner demons, would one day be as ugly as demons and monsters.

The old Heavenly Lord had been as timid as Feng Fuming was extreme.

In these years, though demons were hiding, those who couldn’t be transferred and were scattered throughout the world died terribly at the hands of Feng Fuming’s immortal soldiers.

Shao You put down the documents and said coldly: “If there’s no alternative, we’ll fight.”

This was the worst option, yet it was also the final path. Merging spiritual veins was different from surrendering them. Giving one’s spiritual vein to another was equivalent to placing the fate of the entire clan in someone else’s hands.

That’s why no one understood Ji Xianghan. If Feng Fuming wanted them to die, Chang Liu would be destroyed in an instant.

Shao You didn’t trust Chi Shui Chong and wouldn’t give Kun Lun to anyone.

While Kun Lun prepared for war, Feng Fuming had already subdued dozens of small immortal realms.

Shao You had a bad feeling.

After the ancient war, when territories were redistributed, the four great immortal realms with spiritual veins became the oldest and most powerful immortal clans. They relied on spiritual veins for survival, but were also unparalleled in strength, having lifespans of tens of thousands of years. Some lesser immortal clans without spiritual veins also had their realms, but their lifespans were at most a thousand years. They even recruited disciples with good aptitude from among mortals to maintain the stability of their realms.

There were about a hundred such small immortal realms in the world.

And these realms had all submitted to Feng Fuming’s hegemony.

A ruler of a small immortal realm, once friendly with Kun Lun, anxiously sent a message: “Feng Fuming is not what he used to be. I don’t know how he cultivated, but in just a few short years, he’s acquired the magical power of an ancient master.”

This news shocked the entire Eight Wildernesses.

Shao You frowned, his heart sinking endlessly. It seemed there was no point in considering alliances anymore. When one side becomes too powerful, a catastrophe is inevitable.

Was this the price the Heavenly Way had left for the Eight Wildernesses after Yan Chaosheng’s death?