Outside the palace, the night was cold with howling winds.

The scales on the merfolk’s face grew increasingly dark, taking on an eerie, deep black hue. The cultivators entangled with him in battle, yet the merfolk’s demonic power was terrifyingly strong. Gu Baiying could barely hold her own against him, and at this moment, both were injured.

“How is he getting stronger and stronger?” Mu Cengxiao’s brows furrowed tightly. “His demonic power seems inexhaustible.”

“Perhaps there’s something strange about this. We can’t continue like this—none of us is his match.” Meng Ying raised her sword and charged forward again.

“This is bad!” Tian Fangfang turned her head and saw the black mist gripping Princess Lizhu slowly tightening. Princess Lizhu’s face showed pain, and she looked like she was about to be strangled to death. He raised his axe toward the black mist, but as soon as the Qianyang Axe’s blade touched the black mist, it bounced back by the mist.

Ying Ying laughed maniacally at Princess Lizhu: “Since you’re in such pain, why don’t you just go down and keep him company!”

The black mist suddenly contracted. Princess Lizhu’s breathing grew weaker and weaker. The cultivators wanted to approach the black mist, but before they could get close, they were corroded by the demonic power within it, unable to advance.

“Stop!”

At this critical moment, a clear shout suddenly rang out from the sky. An azure light appeared abruptly in the vast sky, brilliant in the night, shooting straight toward the black mist surrounding Princess Lizhu like lightning, directly splitting the swirling black mist apart.

The black mist quickly dispersed, and Princess Lizhu fell to the ground, caught by Tian Fangfang. Everyone looked up to see a woman in green robes with black hair, holding a Panhua Stick, landing before Ying Ying.

“Yang Zanxing?” Gu Baiying’s gaze moved, and for the first time, calling her name, his tone carried a hint of pleasant surprise.

“You’re not dead?” Ying Ying was surprised. “How is that possible?”

“Just lucky,” Zanxing said, looking at him. “Ying Ying, stop this quickly. I’ve seen Yinli—you can’t continue like this!”

Ying Ying was stunned, then began to laugh coldly: “Sect cultivators do have silver tongues, able to say any nonsense. Yinli’s soul scattered forty years ago—how could you have seen him? If you want me to stop, keep dreaming!” He struck toward Zanxing with his palm.

“It’s true,” Zanxing said while dodging his attacks. “His primordial spirit is currently attached to my body!”

“Pure nonsense!” These words seemed to enrage Ying Ying. He violently swept open his embroidered robe, and from within it, massive clouds of demonic qi emanated.

“This is bad! Get away quickly!” Putao’s face changed. The erupting demonic qi injured people everywhere. Gu Baiying met it with his spear, the spear tip colliding with the black mist. The black mist was shattered several times, but in mere moments, it regrew and wrapped around his Embroidered Bone Spear.

A trace of blood seeped from the corner of Gu Baiying’s lips.

Seeing this, Zanxing’s heart jumped in alarm. This merfolk was excessively strong. Yinli had once said that merfolk’s demonic power wasn’t particularly outstanding—they could struggle against ordinary people, but when facing cultivators, they absolutely couldn’t have the strength for battle. But the demonic power of this merfolk now—even if all the cultivators present joined forces, they probably wouldn’t be his match.

Seeing the black mist growing larger and larger, Zanxing circulated her Yuanli and raised her stick, sweeping toward Gu Baiying’s side, wanting to lend him assistance. However, as soon as she moved, she sensed something was wrong.

Her cultivation level had broken through to the late Foundation Establishment Stage before going to Li’er Kingdom, just one step away from the Golden Core. However, after arriving at Li’er Kingdom, with all these chaotic matters surrounding her, Zanxing hadn’t had much mind for cultivation. Having just passed through the demon-extermination formation, her Yuanli had been severely depleted. Logically, at this moment, she shouldn’t be able to display even a third of her original power with her techniques.

But…

The Yuanli flowing from the spiritual veins everywhere was gentle, like a babbling brook, softly enveloping the places burned by the black mist. She could feel the Yuanli within her body rapidly rising, surging like tidal waves. She could see every inch of the imperial mausoleum. At her dantian, there was a warmth gradually expanding. Zanxing could sense that within her body, a pearl was gradually forming. This pearl was round like a goose egg, emitting a clear, emerald green glow, like spring willows reflected in a lake, naturally full of vigorous life.

In her mind was an unprecedented clarity.

In a trance, she saw in the deep night a woman in white clothes who seemed to stand under a giant tree. The tree was hung with various colored paper lanterns, their light making the long field brilliant. At the distant edge of the sky, fireworks bloomed in the night sky—a spectacular display of colors, breathtakingly beautiful. A man’s voice rang out, carrying some teasing laughter: “Brilliant lanterns like fire trees of silver, with blazing white branches so radiant.”

“Boring.”

Then the figures gradually faded away, leaving only the fireworks at the edge of the sky and the brilliant lantern flames on the branches. Those flowing traces of light and shadow gradually became blurred, blurring into the residual shadow of an azure stick.

“Advance two steps, kick once; retreat one step, strike the withered tree’s coiled roots… draw the bow and retreat, turn and sit in the cave, steal steps and roll, four-square…”

The woman’s tone was as steady as always, even slightly cold, yet at this moment, it made Zanxing feel unprecedentedly intimate.

Meng Ying swept away the black mist condensed from demonic qi in front of her with one sword strike, turned around, and looked forward, her gaze unable to hide her amazement: “Junior Sister?”

Mu Cengxiao followed her gaze.

The black mist surrounding Zanxing was gradually dispersing. The lake-green color of the Tianji Magical Robe appeared particularly bright in the dark curtain. The woman gripped the Panhua Stick, her stick-wielding movements not swift, yet every strike scattered black mist that didn’t reform.

The night sky was lit up bit by bit by this long stick, like fireworks blooming by the sea, illuminating the waves silver-white.

Ying Ying also noticed this.

His demonic qi no longer grew endlessly as before, and Zanxing, having scattered the last wisp of black mist, charged straight toward him.

“Just a cultivator who hasn’t even reached Golden Core dares to show off her slight skills before an expert.” Ying Ying laughed coldly, his claws sharp as if they could crush a person’s soul. He rushed toward Zanxing: “Today is your death day!”

The long stick collided with the sharp claws.

Black mist-like demonic qi lunged ferociously toward the stick tip that emitted azure light.

Zanxing felt countless swamp-like sticky black mists wrapping around her. Those things crawled up her body along the stick tip, seeming to want to attach to her bones, or as if trying to drag her into endless hell, forever buried in darkness.

She gripped the long stick with both hands and struck down fiercely: “Qing E Nian Hua Gun Second Form—Fire Trees and Silver Flowers!”

A dazzling white light shot through the air.

The galaxy was scattered, transforming into light rain falling to Earth.

Li’er Kingdom’s long night suddenly became as bright as day in that instant.

Those brilliant, burned-out stars fell one by one, embroidering a magnificent brocade onto the pitch-black, cold human world. It reminded one of the capital’s New Year, when spring nights were short and joy lasted all night. Young girls full of longing sweetly rested their heads gently on their lovers’ shoulders.

The people in Li’er Kingdom’s city looked up, clicking their tongues in amazement. Innocent children clapped their hands joyfully, calling out in delight.

The eastern wind blew past the pavilions. The white jade railings appeared even more icy cold. The splendor and clamor gradually faded, leaving only cold fire scattered on the ground, like fallen flowers after a feast.

The same crimson fire and silver flowers might have existed in old dreams of the departed, but dreams must eventually wake, just as flowers must wither. Illusory warmth will grow cold; brilliance lasts only an instant.

One moment it rises, one moment it dies.

Fireworks have always been thus.

Zanxing looked down at the person before her.

Ying Ying knelt on one knee on the ground. The black mist that had surrounded him dispersed. He had been struck in the chest by that staff blow and spat out a mouthful of blood. The “fragments” of Fire Trees and Silver Flowers had burned his scales, making him look rather pitiful.

“My junior sister is so formidable…” Tian Fangfang stared in amazement, murmuring: “To think she defeated the merfolk that even my master uncle found troublesome with just one move…”

Gu Baiying glanced at him, and Tian Fangfang lowered his head to examine his Qianyang Axe, pretending he hadn’t said anything.

“You are indeed quite formidable. I misjudged you,” Ying Ying wiped the blood from his lips and said flatly.

“I know you want to avenge Yinli,” Zanxing looked at him, “but even if you want revenge, you should figure out who you should be taking revenge against. Innocent young women aren’t the ones who killed Yinli back then. Why must you…”

Ying Ying laughed lowly: “Revenge? You think too highly of me.” Madness surged in his eyes. “What does Yinli’s death have to do with me? If he wanted to die, no one could stop him.”

Zanxing said, “Is that so? If you don’t care about him, why won’t you leave the West Sea? Didn’t you say you planned to leave this place back then?”

Ying Ying was stunned and looked up at Zanxing: “How do you…”

“I told you, I’ve seen Yinli.” Zanxing paused, then said, “He misses you very much too.”

All around was silent.

After a moment, the merfolk’s calm voice rang out.

“It’s too late.”

Zanxing asked: “What’s too late?”

“Merfolk should live in the sea, not on land.” A strange smile appeared on Yinli’s face.

Zanxing realized something, but before she could speak, she heard Putao shouting from afar: “This is bad—seawater is flooding into the city!”

In the distance of Li’er Kingdom, winds roared and gales stirred up huge waves. The West Sea, gentle and calm like a blue sapphire, now charged forth like a savage beast. The earth began to shake, and countless seabirds took flight from the horizon’s edge.

“What have you done?” Zanxing turned to look at Ying Ying.

The merfolk laughed. He said word by word: “I want to turn this place into the West Sea. I want everything south of Duzhou to never have another piece of land!”

Zanxing simply couldn’t communicate with this madman.

Seawater surged toward the shore, eager to devour everything in Li’er Kingdom. The imperial mausoleum began to grow chaotic, and the screams of fishermen near the seaside drifted far on the wind to the cultivators’ ears.

The cultivators could find ways to preserve themselves, but all the people of Li’er Kingdom—were they to be buried at the bottom of the sea together tonight?

Gu Baiying pressed his spear against Ying Ying’s throat and said angrily: “Stop this now, or I’ll kill you!”

“Go ahead and kill me,” Ying Ying smiled slightly.

He had already resolved to die.

Just then, a sigh echoed between heaven and earth.

This sigh was also gentle, like helpless reluctance to blame. Immediately after, silver ripples spread from the sky. The ripples expanded, gradually becoming a galaxy that caressed the distant West Sea.