If judged solely on parallelism, meter, and rhyme, all three poems were merely mediocre doggerel.

None of the three poets were Qing Cliff scholars, so they couldn’t claim profound poetic skill. Even He Qing Qing, the only one who had studied at Qing Cliff, had worn a veil and hidden in corners during her time there, focusing entirely on practicing the zither, with no connection to the academy’s popular poetry societies.

The Hero’s Note excelled in its powerful brushwork—graceful, elegant, with varied character forms, fully displaying calligraphic mastery. Ordinary cultivators would feel a magnificent aura washing over them after gazing at it briefly, deeply stirring their spirits.

The poems by Chen Hong Zhu and He Qing Qing also contained the gorgeous sword energy of “Hundred Flowers Slaughter” and the brilliant zither rhythm of “Nine Heavens Pendant,” as well as the extraordinary ambitions of their authors.

With these three treasures already there, later visitors who saw them wouldn’t dare leave their own writing at this place.

Yuan Qing Shi had just spoken to stop her, when everyone around quickly agreed:

“Sect Leader, both poems have their merits, but we prefer ‘I dare make heaven and earth change color.'”

“In my view, Sect Leader He’s poem describes immortal mountains and cloud seas, with imagery that spans heaven and earth—it’s no less impressive than the Hero’s Note beside it! That poem about ‘wind, flowers, snow, and moon’ only dares hide in the corner of the stone table; without looking carefully, no one would even notice it.”

“And the words ‘flowers’ and ‘moon’ are repeated twice, front and back, with monotonous imagery. How can it compare to Sect Leader He’s poem?”

He Qing Qing said: “Zhu Xin, you discovered this poem. What do you think?”

“Me?” The young woman who was called out was startled and stammered, “I don’t understand poetry. I just feel that although the Sect Leader’s poem is powerful, it seems somewhat laborious and intense. While this one contains both grand ambition yet seems effortless. So I still prefer the wind, flowers, snow, and moon… Ah!” She was poked in the back by a fellow disciple and glared at fiercely by those around her, so she fell silent.

He Qing Qing sighed softly: “Never mind, merits and faults throughout history will be judged by future generations. If I erase it now, it would only show that I can’t accept defeat. Let’s go.”

With that, she swept her sleeves and turned to leave.

Everyone hurriedly followed, surrounding her as they walked toward Qian Kun Hall.

Yuan Qing Shi suddenly looked back, taking one last glance at the writing on the stone table, with an inexplicable sense of foreboding rising in his heart:

I dare make heaven and earth change color.

Wasn’t his master Xu Yun currently the “heaven” of the righteous Immortal Alliance? What “color” did He Qing Qing still want to change?

He followed absentmindedly at the back of the group, hearing his master’s earlier instructions echo in his ears: “That He Qing Qing comes from humble origins with ordinary talent, yet she reversed her fate with a single ‘Wind and Snow Battle Formation Melody,’ making her way to where she is today, truly possessing some luck. She’s ambitious, and you probably can’t defeat her in a direct confrontation. To control a woman, it’s best to marry her. After marriage, you share glory and misfortune. No matter how much power she has, she’s still your wife, naturally having to defer to you somewhat.”

Yuan Qing Shi thought to himself that his master had a point. He needed to find a way to stop her, preventing her from doing anything that might harm Hua Wei Sect in the future.

“I’ll announce us!” He hurried forward, entering the hall first.

He Qing Qing stood outside Qian Kun Hall and heard Xu Yun’s strong voice coming from within: “Sect Leader He, please forgive me for not coming out to welcome you. Thank you for your hard work handling the recent Immortal Alliance matters. Please, come in and let’s talk.”

The people of Hua Wei Sect felt both relieved and worried, unsure if their leader’s condition had improved or if he was simply putting on a brave face.

With a loud bang, the hall doors opened wide like the jaws of a great beast.

He Qing Qing strode across the threshold: “It’s my duty, Sect Leader Xu Yun. No need for such formality—”

The doors closed behind her with a resonant sound.

The hall was empty, with no attendants in sight, only countless sharp swords floating in midair.

Yuan Qing Shi stood awkwardly before the curtains: “Ahem, Sect Leader He, the main peak’s formations are undergoing regular maintenance. These are used for testing the formations.”

He Qing Qing smiled faintly: “It’s fine.”

Xu Yun was extremely wary of her, yet had no choice but to seek her help. Because apart from her, this righteous path sect leader dared not let anyone know about his physical condition.

Xu Yun ordered Yuan Qing Shi to remain outside the curtain, summoning only He Qing Qing to enter.

Inside, she saw him sitting cross-legged, his face deathly pale, his cheeks deeply sunken, his bloodshot eyes bulging outward, resembling a vengeful ghost. Where was even a trace of his former immortal bearing?

“My time is running short, so I’ll be direct. If you save me today, I’ll save you in the future. But if you try any tricks or schemes… Heh, this is Hua Wei Sect. With the power of our formations, you’ll never leave Qian Kun Hall alive! See these swords? You’re still young with a bright future ahead. You don’t want to perish here with me, do you?”

Under the control of the formation, the countless floating swords trembled with a humming sound, instantly turning around with their tips aimed at He Qing Qing’s back.

Xu Yun had first used the courtesy reserved for honored guests to disarm He Qing Qing’s wariness, waiting until she relaxed and entered Qian Kun Hall before threatening her with the most dangerous means.

Yuan Qing Shi, blocked by the curtain, couldn’t hear their conversation, but seeing the sword hilts turn, he was alarmed: “Lady He, please don’t defy Master!”

He Qing Qing stepped back, appearing frightened: “And then?”

Xu Yun’s tone softened: “No need to be nervous. After my injuries heal, I certainly won’t mistreat you. After all, when I ascend, Hua Wei Sect will still need to be handed over to people like you.”

Having been sect leader for two hundred years, he was skilled at alternating between threats and rewards.

“People like us?” He Qing Qing asked.

“I will arrange an engagement ceremony for you and Qing Shi,” Xu Yun said. “Hua Wei Sect and Celestial Sound Gate will then be as close as branches from the same tree, like one family.”

He Qing Qing suddenly understood: “Oh—so that’s what you’ve been planning.”

Xu Yun said: “Sect Leader He, you’re a smart person. You should know this is the best path.”

He Qing Qing approached as instructed: “Sect Leader Xu Yun, first take the Ascension Pill, then I’ll help you circulate your energy.”

Since entering the hall, she had maintained a proper demeanor, raising no objections to Xu Yun’s threats or arrangements.

Xu Yun was quite satisfied.

He greedily consumed the Ascension Pill, feeling abundant vitality rise from his spiritual palace, flowing through every meridian.

He Qing Qing stood behind him, using both hands to channel spiritual energy into him.

Xu Yun’s complexion quickly regained a ruddy fullness, his eyes blazing with divine light. Feeling the shadow of death retreat, he couldn’t help laughing loudly: “Truly a miraculous medicine!”

Just then, He Qing Qing suddenly called out in a loud voice: “Sect Leader Xu Yun, you have deviated in your cultivation and fallen into demonic practice. The Ascension Pill is useless to you now.”

“What did you say?” Xu Yun was startled.

How could He Qing Qing, who was like him, suddenly say such a thing?

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu Yun’s meridians were wracked with pain, his spiritual palace rupturing, blood flowing from his seven orifices!

The dense spiritual energy of Hua Wei Sect, continuously channeled into Qian Kun Hall through the formations, should have been clear and colorless, but when it touched him, it turned blood red.

The turbid, blood-colored spiritual energy sank downward. He seemed to be sitting in a blood pool surrounded by red mist, utterly terrifying.

Meanwhile, He Qing Qing cried out in panic: “Sect Leader Xu Yun, what’s happening to you? Someone, come quickly!”

“You’re seeking death!” In the moment of injury, Xu Yun tried to activate the formation to kill He Qing Qing, but found himself unable to move at all. His spiritual energy was flowing backward, being drawn out from his meridians toward the dark red prayer beads on He Qing Qing’s wrist.

“No! How can this be?” Xu Yun’s cultivation level fell rapidly. In the span of a single breath, he had dropped from Divine Transformation to Golden Core, filling him with extreme rage. “If you kill me here, do you think you can leave Hua Wei Sect alive?”

The panic disappeared from He Qing Qing’s face, replaced by a smile: “Everyone will know you died from cultivation deviation. What does that have to do with me?”

“You’re carrying an image recording talisman?!”

“It only recorded until I called for help. After that, you lost your mind and attacked wildly. I exhausted myself to escape… If you hadn’t practiced this technique or taken this pill, you wouldn’t have met with this calamity.” He Qing Qing twisted the blood-red beads on her wrist, which were now blazing with light, and said softly, “Stop glaring. Your power was always meant for me. If you hadn’t invited me this time, I would have found a way to come and take it anyway. Your injury came at the perfect time, saving me trouble. When what you need appears at your doorstep, it shows that I am truly the one favored by destiny.”

Xu Yun was filled with hatred, his eyes about to burst: “Demoness! You’re treacherous and vicious. You won’t die well!”

He Qing Qing threw back her head and laughed: “I only wish to live as fully as possible. Who cares about dying well?”

Xu Yun wanted to say more, but his throat could only produce short, shrill, hate-filled sounds.

His body kept shrinking and collapsing as if the flesh and blood within his skin were being forcibly extracted. Using his last strength, he barely managed to open his mouth and utter three words: “Xian Jian Chen…”

As soon as he spoke, his life force was exhausted, and he resembled a dried corpse.

In the final moment of his life, he had to rely on the name he most hated to deal with the enemy before him.

He Qing Qing didn’t hear clearly: “What?”

“Boom!” A thunderbolt struck!

The hall’s ceiling shattered. He Qing Qing leaped to avoid it, using the blood-red prayer beads to defend herself, but half her sleeve was still scorched by the lightning fire.

“Old fool!” She looked around, still shaken.

Speaking Xian Jian Chen’s name in Qian Kun Hall would invite lightning—this was a tacit secret among Hua Wei’s upper echelons.

Xu Yun could no longer hear any curses.

He Qing Qing circled him, admiring the anger and resentment frozen on his face, then extended a finger and pushed gently: “Throughout my life, I’ve hated being looked down upon most of all.”

“Crash.”

The dried corpse tumbled forward, crumbling to dust.

A great righteous path sect leader, reduced to dust.

The mountain fog had cleared, and the sun shone brightly in the sky.

The five-colored carp beneath Falling Water Bridge swayed their tails. Their scales reflected the sunlight, bright and glittering.

A crowd had gathered outside Qian Kun Hall. People whispered among themselves while watching the tightly closed hall doors, their anticipation tinged with worry:

“Sect Leader He isn’t a medical cultivator, and she’s so young. Can she help?”

“Whether she can or not, she’s our only option. It’s strange that the Sect Leader was injured this time and refuses to let anyone else examine him.”

Suddenly, the great hall trembled, lightning struck, and then Yuan Qing Shi’s despairing cry was heard: “Master—”

Everyone was shocked and simultaneously summoned their magical treasures, rushing in.

The hall was in disarray, with many masterless swords scattered on the ground. The curtains were torn, and candelabras had toppled over.

The roof had been split open by the lightning, creating a large hole. A beam of bright light shone through the hole into the depths of the great hall.

He Qing Qing stood quietly in the brilliant beam of light, her face slightly pale, her sleeve tattered:

“Sect Leader Xu Yun deviated in his cultivation and has passed away.”

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

Countless shocked and angry gazes shot toward He Qing Qing:

“Impossible! The Sect Leader’s cultivation was profound. How could he deviate?”

“What did you do? Why was ‘that person’s’ trap triggered?”

He Qing Qing lightly smoothed her cloud-like hair: “The jade hairpin in my hair happens to be an image recording artifact. See for yourselves.”

A moment later, the atmosphere in Qian Kun Hall was deathly silent. Young people sighed continuously, while several elders wept openly.

“Why did this recording end prematurely? Why did Sect Leader He start recording beforehand?” An elder raised doubts. “Disciple Yuan, you were in the hall the whole time. What did you see?”

All eyes turned to Yuan Qing Shi.

He was in a daze, still unwilling to believe what had happened was real. He had intended to say he hadn’t seen anything, but there seemed to be something suspicious about this matter.

Then he heard He Qing Qing’s voice transmitted to him: “Your master is gone, and the dead cannot be revived. Chen Hong Zhu, that ‘legitimate heir,’ is waiting to take the sect leader position. Look around Qian Kun Hall—who doesn’t want to be a sect leader? Hua Wei Sect faces troubles both internal and external. Will you still consider the big picture? Do you want me to help you? Do you want to be the sect leader or a homeless dog?”

Yuan Qing Shi’s gaze swept across each suspicious or shocked face. In his daze, he saw Chen Hong Zhu walking toward the sect leader’s throne, giving him a mocking smile.

When he blinked, the illusion disappeared. He thought he would be extremely conflicted, in unbearable pain, unable to decide, but then he met He Qing Qing’s deep, determined gaze.

Perhaps they were truly fellow travelers on the same path?

Yuan Qing Shi took a deep breath and heard his hoarse voice say: “Master… Master truly did deviate in his cultivation, with spiritual energy flowing backward, causing his death.”

“You witnessed this with your own eyes?” someone else asked.

“I… I saw it with my own eyes.” Yuan Qing Shi walked to stand behind He Qing Qing.

He Qing Qing said: “Before Sect Leader Xu Yun passed, he entrusted the Righteous Immortal Alliance to me. I couldn’t bear to let him die with regrets, so I had to agree.”

An elder raised a soft objection: “How could the Sect Leader entrust the Righteous Immortal Alliance to an outsider?”

Yuan Qing Shi loudly declared: “How can Sect Leader He be considered an outsider? She was already the ‘Acting Alliance Leader’ and her contributions to the Alliance are evident to all!”

Having made his choice, he could only go all in: “I am Master’s only disciple. Before he passed, he transmitted the sect leader position to me and entrusted the Righteous Immortal Alliance to Sect Leader He. Who objects? Speak up.”

Everything had happened so suddenly that most people were stunned, unable to think clearly.

A few sighed inwardly, thinking that this He Qing Qing was ruthless. Given the situation, the Hua Wei Sect was destined to exist in name only, and the future belonged to the Immortal Alliance.

The wise adapt to circumstances. Following He Qing Qing meant access to Ascension Pills and positions within the Immortal Alliance. Now was the best time to pledge allegiance.

Immediately, someone said: “The Alliance cannot be without a leader for even a day. Please, Sect Leader He, carry on Immortal Xu Yun’s legacy.”

“Sect Leader He’s promotion from ‘Acting Alliance Leader’ to ‘Alliance Leader’ makes her the rightful Alliance Leader He!”

“Where are the Celestial Sound disciples?” He Qing Qing called out loudly.

The Celestial Sound Gate disciples surged into the great hall, bowing together: “Greetings, Alliance Leader!”

…

On an auspicious day, bells and drums sounded in unison, with colorful silk banners filling the sky.

He Qing Qing formally succeeded as the Immortal Alliance Leader in Hong Fu Prefecture, waving her sleeves to scatter Ascension Pills.

Spirit pills fell like rain, making the ceremony more magnificent than any in history.

Even standing on the walls of Thousand Channels, one could hear the thunderous cheers from across the way:

“Long live Alliance Leader He!”

“May Alliance Leader He reign for thousands of years.”

Ji Chen rested his chin on his hand, looking toward the black mass of cloud ships above Hong Fu Prefecture: “I’d say they’ve all gone mad. They started shouting last night, shouted through the night, and now the sun has risen to their shouting. Our organized singing can’t even drown them out.”

Wei Zhen Yu leaned against the wall with a blade of grass between his teeth: “That pill is indeed strange. Tell everyone to stop singing and prepare for the decisive battle.”

At this moment, he looked neither like the Thousand Channels Defense General nor the Northern Desert Guardian King, but rather like Wei Ping from before he arrived at Thousand Channels.

It was as if he regarded his life lightly, indifferent to whether he lived or died.

A tuft of purple flame burned in the palm of his right hand, and the flame suddenly flared higher.

Meng He Ze, who was leaning beside him, saw this and moved away slightly, holding his sword: “Be careful with your ‘Endless Fire,’ don’t burn my scabbard. This is a treasured sword that Senior Brother Song forged for me. As for He Qing Qing, I’ve disliked her for a long time. Had I known what would happen, at the Three Lives Stone, I should have…”

Before he could finish, Ji Chen interrupted him: “No! Senior Brother Song was at the Three Lives Stone. If we go further back, that night, if the three of us had joined forces…”

“Can’t you two show some backbone?!” Wei Zhen Yu spat out the grass root. “We’re not afraid of her now either. Win this final battle, and we’ll go to the snow plains to bring Senior Brother Song home!”

This battle had been incredibly difficult.

Thousand Channels Prefecture was home to mostly ordinary people. During the war, the natural cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death continued for a million people on this land.

If the people of Thousand Channels didn’t have absolutely firm belief, rumors would have spread through the streets and villages long ago, causing internal collapse of order.

But a bowstring kept taut for too long will eventually snap.

Last night at the Three Ministries meeting, Minister of Works Tie San Niu said: “We can’t hold out much longer. The gunpowder and medical supplies in the warehouses are almost depleted. The workshops have been working day and night, and prolonged operation increases the risk of explosions.”

Minister of Agriculture Liu Mu Jiang said: “We’ve already missed the summer harvest; we can’t miss the autumn harvest as well.”

Minister of Education Zhu Ping sighed: “The children have been away from their studies for too long. Even their games involve forming teams for battle. They’ve learned about hatred at too young an age.”

Wei Zhen Yu stood atop the city wall, raising his sword high, giving his final speech to those within:

“The battle has reached its final stage, and Thousand Channels faces a moment of life or death! Victory will be ours! Win this battle, and we’ll go home to harvest wheat!”

His language was extremely simple and plain, yet it stirred people’s hearts.

The people of Thousand Channels shouted in unison: “Harvest wheat! Harvest wheat!”

While Hong Fu shouted “Long live Sect Leader He,” Thousand Channels shouted, “Go home to harvest wheat.”

Hearing each other’s calls, both sides thought the other had gone mad first.

The cultivators of the Immortal Alliance spared no spiritual energy in using various divine abilities, competing to establish military merit, and determined to conquer Thousand Channels.

The Thousand Channels defensive formation controlled by Ji Chen could no longer block all attacks. Meng He Ze led his team into battle, with Wei Zhen Yu deploying all artillery units, firearms, and iron puppets to cover them.

The most intense, most frenzied battle fully erupted.

From daylight to deep night, explosions sounded like summer thunder, streaks of fire resembled purple dragons emerging from the sea, and rolling smoke and dust covered the sky for hundreds of miles around.

“Have they taken some drug? Damn it, they’ve become so strong!” Ji Chen clutched the formation disk, gasping violently, and cursed from atop the city wall.

Wei Zhen Yu was equally distressed. He hadn’t fully mastered the “Endless Fire” yet and didn’t dare release it completely, lest it burn Thousand Channels behind him. Controlling just one-tenth of it against the enemy still drained his spirit immensely.

On the battlefield outside the city, danger lurked everywhere. Meng He Ze fought in a bloodbath, and the disciples of Song Academy also refused to retreat.

With Thousand Channels at their backs, where else could they withdraw to?

Yuan Qing Shi stood on the deck of a cloud ship, directing the battle: “Success or failure hinges on this one effort! If we win this battle, everyone will get a share of Thousand Channels’ spirit stone mines and treasures! If we lose, we can only wait for Xian Jian Chen to reclaim his life-bound sword and become a ghost under his blade! Alliance members, give it everything!”

Amid the earthshaking drums, the Immortal Alliance cultivators’ blood surged, and they attacked with all their might.

Suddenly, Yuan Qing Shi felt a chill and leaped down from the cloud ship with his sword.

“Boom!”

The place where he had been standing exploded with flying splinters and burning flames.

Although the cloud ships were protected by formations, they weren’t as solid as Thousand Channels’ defensive array. Various explosive talismans rained down like meteors, forcibly scattering the fleet, and the drums were also forced to stop.

The Immortal Alliance cultivators at the front didn’t know what had happened; they only saw fires breaking out in the rear and thought they were surrounded by Thousand Channels forces. Some continued to attack, while others turned back to assist, instantly throwing their formation into disarray.

“What’s happening? Has Thousand Channels attacked from behind?” Yuan Qing Shi shouted.

How could Thousand Channels possibly have the spare strength to circle and attack them from behind?

“They’re not from Thousand Channels!” reported a cultivator skilled in reconnaissance.

“Then who else could it be?! At this stage of the battle, who else would come?” Yuan Qing Shi demanded.

All reinforcements for Thousand Channels had already joined the battle, and there were no other major forces in the cultivation world that could influence the course of the war.

“It looks like people from Qing Cliff. They’re all wearing cyan robes!”

“Didn’t Qing Cliff seal its academy? How could they suddenly appear here?”

The Immortal Alliance members looked behind them and saw Qing Cliff’s fleet emerging from the night clouds. A young cultivator at the bow of the ship applied a sound-amplifying talisman and called out:

“Friends of Thousand Channels! Qing Cliff has arrived late!”

Qing Cliff had many talisman masters, skilled in long-range attacks.

Those at the Golden Core level and above drew talismans in battle, while those below the Golden Core continuously launched talismans.

Suddenly, an incredibly bright blade of light slashed across the night sky, like lightning splitting the darkness!

The Immortal Alliance’s largest cloud ship was torn to pieces, falling from the sky.

“Not good, it’s Zi Ye Wen Shu’s Snow Blade! Retreat quickly!”

“The dignified Qing Cliff Academy Supervisor Zi Ye Wen Shu ambushes us at a time like this!”

If you call it an ambush, it wasn’t quite that; it just happened to coincide with the Immortal Alliance’s all-out attack when they couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Thousand Channels and the Righteous Immortal Alliance had each considered the other their only enemy, never imagining a third party would join the battle at this time.

The spirits of Thousand Channels and its allies soared, and they pressed their advantage: “Friends from Qing Cliff, we see you!”

Thousand Channels had once again driven away the enemy and welcomed powerful reinforcements!

The Immortal Alliance members suffered heavy losses and had to withdraw from above Hong Fu, hiding in the Poisonous Miasma Forest, using the dense trees to avoid Qing Cliff’s talisman attacks.

In their anger, they even felt a sense of absurdity.

Fighting so hard, only to have it all be for nothing?

Where had Zi Ye Wen Shu suddenly appeared from?

Both sides sounded the gongs to withdraw troops, and the situation once again reached a stalemate.

“Zi Ye Wen Shu arrived at the perfect time,” Wei Zhen Yu said.

Ji Chen: “But we still don’t know what Senior Brother put in the box he gave him.”

Meng He Ze: “Whatever it was, he came. But don’t you find it strange? Why don’t we see He Qing Qing anywhere?”

Wei Zhen Yu thought briefly: “If I were her, unable to win yet needing to consolidate my authority, facing a dead end either way, I would choose to negotiate.”

“You mean she’ll try to negotiate with Zi Ye Wen Shu?” Meng He Ze said. “That makes sense. He Qing Qing came from Qing Cliff and seems to have had some connection with Zi Ye Wen Shu in the past.”

Ji Chen: “Will Friend Zi Ye reach an agreement with her?”

The three looked at each other, momentarily silent.

…

The Immortal Alliance cultivators still had an inexplicable confidence in their new leader. They set up protective barriers in the Poisonous Miasma Forest, waiting for He Qing Qing to find a solution, but only received news that she had gone into seclusion.

Yuan Qing Shi distributed Ascension Pills to appease everyone: “Please be patient! The Sect Leader has a plan!”

But what the plan was, he didn’t know either.

Moonlight couldn’t penetrate the dense forest. Looking up, one could only see interlacing branches and leaves.

Most of the Celestial Sound Gate disciples gathered around the black gold carriage, forming a tight formation to guard the person inside.

“Hey, Zhu Xin, the Sect Leader is calling for you.”

The girl who had been tuning her strings quickly put away her zither: “Sister, did you say the Sect Leader called for me? Just me alone?”

“Only you!” The disciple leading the way seemed somewhat envious. “Hurry up.”

Zhu Xin became anxious and cautiously entered the luxurious black-gold carriage.

Inside, she saw He Qing Qing reclining on a soft couch, her wide sleeves hanging down, eyes closed in feigned sleep, her beautiful face showing slight fatigue.

“Greetings, Sect Leader,” Zhu Xin said softly.

He Qing Qing didn’t open her eyes: “I haven’t given you any Ascension Pills. Do you resent me for that? Do you think I’m not good?”

Zhu Xin quickly shook her head: “No, we were all brought into Celestial Sound Gate by Senior Sister. Without Senior Sister, a small disciple of common birth like me would probably have taken ten years to make progress and fifteen years to have my life-bound magical treasure. It was the Senior Sister who changed the Celestial Sound Gate system, and the Senior Sister has always been good to us disciples. It’s just…”

She felt she had misspoken again and quickly closed her mouth: “I never speak well. Please don’t be offended, Sect Leader!”

“Just what? Go on,” He Qing Qing said.

“It’s just that I don’t like fighting,” Zhu Xin said.

“I don’t want to fight Thousand Channels either, but I had no choice but to take over this mess from Xu Yun. This is the first major issue I’ve faced since taking the position, and if I let so many people return without accomplishing anything, where would the Alliance Leader’s authority be? Where would the Immortal Alliance’s position be? When the Immortal Alliance was first established, it needed common fears, hatreds, and goals,” He Qing Qing explained.

Zhu Xin couldn’t answer and tried asking: “So we have to continue fighting?”

He Qing Qing: “Strong reinforcements have arrived on the other side. If we continue fighting, both sides will only be hurt with neither gaining an advantage.”

Zhu Xin: “Will the Alliance Leader go to meet Zi Ye Wen Shu, to negotiate with him and ask him to withdraw Qing Cliff from this battle?”

He Qing Qing said calmly: “It wouldn’t work. I won’t go see him.”

Zhu Xin frowned: “Then what can we do? I really can’t think of anything.”

He Qing Qing laughed: “I didn’t call you here to think of solutions!”

She waved her wide sleeve, summoning a zither from her storage pouch.

The zither’s surface gleamed with a faint green light, like a pool of spring water under the moon.

Zhu Xin let out a soft exclamation of surprise: “The Green Ripple Platform? What a beautiful zither!”

“It was my first zither,” He Qing Qing said.

Zhu Xin looked at He Qing Qing with slight amazement. Since Lady Jiang Yun’s death, no one had seen such a gentle expression on the Senior Sister’s face.

“If, by chance, I haven’t returned in seven days, take this zither and go to your brothers. You can go to any of them,” He Qing Qing lowered her eyes to look at the zither. “Take good care of it for me.”

Zhu Xin took the zither with both hands, knelt to bow, and said anxiously: “Celestial Sound Gate cannot be without the Sect Leader. Besides, I’m not clever enough, and my talent isn’t the best. Several junior sisters are stronger than me… I don’t deserve this zither.”

“What’s deserving or not deserving? I said ‘by chance,'” He Qing Qing raised her eyes, becoming once again the imposing Alliance Leader: “You may go now. This matter is not to be shared with others.”

Zhu Xin put away the zither, her mood heavy.

Where was the Sect Leader going? What was she planning to do? Why was she going alone, without bringing helpers?

Why didn’t she want anyone to know? Was it extremely dangerous?

Would this solve their current predicament?

…

On the vast snow plain, ice sculptures formed a forest, and blood flowed like a sea.

Countless ice spikes fell from the sky like a torrential rain.

In this battle where neither heaven and earth nor sun and moon could be seen, Song Qian Ji had almost lost his sense of the passage of time.

The Shadowless Sword moved swiftly like the wind.

The Truth-Breaking Sword was like a cleaving axe, smashing all obstacles in its path.

Song Qian Ji felt that even the moon had grown tired of watching and thus was too lazy to rise again.

Only when all the believers had died did this extremely vicious formation finally stop operating?

This was truly a hell on earth.

Only rows of white bones remained on the snow plain, some standing, some sitting, some fallen, with some skeletons still hanging tatters of organs and scraps of flesh.

Song Qian Ji was utterly exhausted and too lazy to fly on his sword, so he leaned on Xian Jian Chen’s shoulder, using him like a crutch.

The two made their way through the forest of white bones.

The strong wind couldn’t disperse the heavy stench of blood.

Fragments of flesh occasionally fell from the skeletons onto the crimson snow, making “plop plop” sounds, like fruit dropping in a forest.

The eerie atmosphere was oppressive. Song Qian Ji suddenly said, “Hey, talk to me.”

Xian Jian Chen: “…Do you think this environment is suitable for conversation?”

“Tell me about when you were young. With that nasty temperament of yours, did anyone ever beat you up?”

Xian Jian Chen said: “How could that be possible? I was a married man.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Xian Jian Chen sighed: “You wouldn’t understand. Married men always get beaten by their wives.”

“Huh?” Song Qian Ji thought to himself that didn’t seem right—it was just that Xian Jian Chen was particularly deserving of a beating. “May I ask what level of cultivation your wife had?”

“Ahem, your Master’s wife was an ordinary mortal, though she was quite gentle most of the time,” Xian Jian Chen explained. “Beating means love and scolding means affection—you wouldn’t understand!”

Song Qian Ji became interested: “What happened after you got married?”

“After marrying her, I developed thoughts of retirement. I no longer wanted to engage in endless fighting; I just wanted to build a small courtyard, dig a little pond, and live an ordinary life with her. Ideally, we would have had two children, a boy and a girl.”

“And then what?” Song Qian Ji pressed.

They had walked past most of the bone forest, and the deep red blood color beneath their feet had begun to fade.

“Then my wife died,” Xian Jian Chen said flatly. “The people who killed her were all slain by me. After that incident, I could never put down my sword again.”

Song Qian Ji was taken aback.

They looked at each other in silence, then continued walking without words. The sound of bone frameworks being scattered by the wind mingled with the sound of trampling through snow.

Song Qian Ji inexplicably felt a sense of sadness, both for fate and for Xian Jian Chen himself.

Sometimes he found Xian Jian Chen utterly unreliable, excessively arrogant, and stubbornly irritating, with hardly any redeeming qualities. Yet Xian Jian Chen had taught him about the eight swords. Only after obtaining the “Truth-Breaking Sword” did he realize that Xian Jian Chen had left a form of consciousness in these swords; otherwise, these eight divine weapons with their distinct temperaments couldn’t have been subdued by him so quickly.

At other times, Song Qian Ji felt that Xian Jian Chen was somewhat pitiful, with no friends or relatives, only his swords. But Xian Jian Chen followed his path, not needing anyone’s pity.

He had initially thought that Xian Jian Chen must have been an arrogant powerhouse in his youth, an invincible giant, only to discover that he too had once thought of laying down his sword and speaking kindly, that he too had once thought, “Let’s just forget everything and put grievances behind us.”

But in the end, he still carried his sword, fighting endlessly. With each step forward, an iron door slammed shut behind him.

He could never turn back.

Seeing Song Qian Ji’s silence, Xian Jian Chen smiled again: “It’s alright, it happened many years ago. I can barely remember her face now, only that she cooked very well… If I had a son, he’d probably be just like you.”

Words of comfort rose to Song Qian Ji’s throat, but he swallowed them back: “Are you even human? Taking advantage of me at a time like this?!”

After their incredibly long, bitter battle, they supported each other as they walked out of the bone forest and saw the red sun rising on the horizon.

The snow plain gleamed with silver light, like an ocean of shattered diamonds stretching from their feet to the edge of the sky.