Luo Luo froze for a moment.
Li Zhaoye's last vicious remark made her heart race and her cheeks flush.
Deep down, she really wanted to ask—if his "brother" wasn't home, then where had he gone?
But her survival instincts kept her mouth shut.
Her intuition told her that the resentful male ghost before her was already on the verge of exploding. If she dared provoke him further, he might very well pull out his "brother" (or a fake one) from somewhere and finish her off right then and there.
"Li Zhaoye," Luo Luo called out to him.
He stared at her gloomily. "Speak."
Luo Luo decisively changed the subject: "Sword technique names—think of ten, quick!"
Li Zhaoye: "..."
Xu Junzhu stared at the sheet of rice paper before her, lost in thought.
Bathing Sword, Splash Sword, Rippling Sword, Surging Waves Sword, Cascading Sword... Flooding Heaven Sword.
Amidst the chaotic mess of sword technique names, a single serious one—"Heart-Seeking Sword"—stood out awkwardly.
A closer look revealed that all the other names were written with flamboyant, showy strokes, as if showing off calligraphy skills. Only "Heart-Seeking Sword" was scribbled hastily, as if done with zero effort.
"Heart-Seeking, huh?"
She had to give them credit—at least they managed to come up with something this plain.
Fine, this would do. No more fussing.
Xu Junzhu casually circled "Heart-Seeking Sword" and handed the paper to the sect elders.
"Heart-Seeking?" Master Yuan instinctively frowned. "Isn't that a bit too... ordinary?"
Before he could finish, his gaze landed on the other names. His lips twitched, and his vision darkened momentarily.
"Let me see!" Elder Bai snatched the paper. "Uh..."
The elders passed it around, each falling silent after a glance.
"Well, compared to the rest, Heart-Seeking does look rather... refined."
"Let's just go with this one. Seriously."
Xu Junzhu sighed. "Since the elders are in agreement, let's adjourn."
There was still plenty of work to be done.
Lately, the world had been anything but peaceful.
After that apocalyptic battle, both she and Feng Guanhai had been left severely weakened, while Daoist Cangyue had fled early, preserving his full strength.
Seizing the opportunity, the Heavenly Dao Sect had tried to swallow both the Tai Xuan and Chong Xing sects.
The situation had been dire.
At the most critical moment, the two sides had lined up their formations along the southern border, ready for war at the slightest provocation.
Tai Xuan Sect only had Master Yuan, a Nascent Soul cultivator, holding the fort. Chong Xing Sect was slightly better off—their perpetually drowsy sect leader was at the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, and Feng Baiyan had also broken through to Nascent Soul. But against Daoist Cangyue? Still not enough.
A Daoist’s threat was overwhelming. With a single strike, he could easily claim the life of a Nascent Soul expert.
Both Tai Xuan and Chong Xing had prepared for the worst, dragging out their ancient relics for a desperate, last stand.
Just as an all-out war seemed inevitable—
Feng Baiyan forcibly activated his ocular technique, surpassing his limits to track Daoist Cangyue’s movements. He nearly died on the spot. Fortunately, Xu Junlan arrived with a group to form the "Cloakless Sword Array," sharing the backlash and barely keeping him alive.
Miraculously, they actually managed to lock onto Daoist Cangyue’s aura.
The elders of both sects immediately resolved to burn their souls, using their sect’s sacred artifacts to trap the Daoist in a mutual destruction pact!
But then—
Daoist Cangyue chickened out.
Too afraid to fight, he withdrew with his elite forces in disgrace.
That retreat cost him the best chance he’d ever have. Had he struck then, with Xu Junzhu and Feng Guanhai incapacitated, victory would’ve been almost certain.
But the moment passed.
As time dragged on, Xu Junzhu and Feng Guanhai gradually recovered, making Daoist Cangyue even less willing to risk open war.
And so, the situation remained in a tense stalemate, filled with hesitation, second-guessing, and endless probing.
Now, the Heavenly Dao Sect employed a strategy of slow encroachment.
Today, a city. Tomorrow, a mountain. All while hiding behind their Daoist’s might, acting without fear.
Tai Xuan and Chong Xing could only grit their teeth and endure—sending experts to reclaim territory risked ambushes by Daoist Cangyue himself.
A dirty tactic, infuriating yet impossible to counter for now.
Bang!
Xu Junzhu slammed down the latest intelligence reports, suppressing her fury before heading to Mirror Twin Peak.
She needed a change of scenery.
In the pavilion:
"After discussing with the elders, we’ve settled on the Heart-Seeking Sword technique," Xu Junzhu informed Luo Luo and Li Zhaoye.
Luo Luo nodded slowly. "Oh... that one. Sure, works for me."
Xu Junzhu acknowledged her response, then glanced at Li Zhaoye.
He held a teacup but wasn’t drinking, his gaze hollow, an almost tangible resentment clinging to him.
At Xu Junzhu’s words, his eyes flickered mechanically—indicating he’d heard. Whatever. No objections. Doesn’t matter.
Xu Junzhu: "..."
She wasn’t great at small talk.
The silence grew awkward. But having come all this way, she couldn’t just leave after one sentence.
She grasped for conversation: "The Divine Lord’s obsession is gone. Why haven’t you two married yet? What’s the hold-up?"
Big mistake.
Li Zhaoye’s resentment thickened until it felt suffocating. His dark eyes shifted, voice dripping with gloom:
"Marry? What marriage? Is the world at peace? Are the demons eradicated? Is the Heavenly Dao Sect dealt with? Have we reclaimed our lands?"
"..."
Xu Junzhu flushed with shame. "My... my incompetence has delayed you both!"
As she left the pavilion, the newly appointed sect leader felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavier.
She looked to the sky and sighed.
The pressure was crushing.
Walking down the mountain path, she passed the ruins of a long-demolished structure and paused briefly.
This place held only unpleasant memories.
Every visit with her master had inevitably led to vicious arguments with that insufferable Qing Xu.
Xu Junzhu stood there, lost in thought.
What was this damned place originally called again?
A few steps later, it hit her.
Heart-Seeking Hall.
As winter approached, the spiritual currents above Tai Xuan Sect grew increasingly turbulent, dazzling auroras flickering endlessly—all originating from Mirror Twin Peak.
Zhao Yu shook his head. "Those two haven’t come out to steal chickens in ages!"
Senior Brother Buyang scoffed. "Wait, didn’t chickens go missing just yesterday? Oh—it was you, wasn’t it?!"
Zhao Yu jumped. "Don’t accuse me without proof! How do you know it wasn’t them?"
Senior Brother Buyang grinned viciously. "If it wasn’t you, how’d you know the thieves weren’t them?"
Zhao Yu: "...Oh."
As they bickered, Xu Junlan rushed past, face grim.
"Trouble. Heavenly Dao Sect has surrounded Jiang Ling’s minor sect. Feng Baiyan went to rescue them. Reliable intel suggests Daoist Cangyue is likely waiting there to kill him."
Given the life-and-death bond between Tai Xuan and the Feng family, everyone immediately sprang into action.
"Is Feng Baiyan that shorty out of his mind?" Zhao Yu cursed. "He's our 'eyes'! How could Daoist Cangyue not target him? If he’s gone, who’ll track that old bastard next time?"
Xu Junlan replied impassively, "Nothing to be done. Jiang Ling is his blood sister. If it were me in trouble, my sister would jump into the fire too."
Zhao Yu groaned, "Then we’re done for. After wiping out the Chongxing Sect, we’re next."
Xu Junzhu had barely recovered to the late-stage Nascent Soul realm, and Old Man Feng was in worse shape—no way he could still fight.
Zhao Yu seethed with indignation. "Is there no one in this world who can take that old villain down?"
"Clang!"
A bizarre spectacle unfolded across the plains—
The dazzling river of stars in the sky was suddenly torn apart by a streak of moonlight, splitting open a massive gash.
The stars flickered ominously, each one staining crimson.
The blood-red hue deepened until it seemed as though countless eyes were weeping tears of blood.
The sight sent chills down the spine.
"Brother! Brother! Run! Get out of here!"
From the torn heavens, a short figure staggered into view, a gruesome wound slashing diagonally across his body—from below his right shoulder to his left waist.
Feng Baiyan wiped blood from his lips. "Run? Men of the Feng family don’t cower like those cowards from the Yue Clan!"
Before his words faded, a beam of moonlight descended from above, nearly cleaving him in two.
He barely steadied himself, stealing a glance at the ground below.
‘Jiang Ling, Daoist Cangyue loves his pompous theatrics. If I die, he’ll spare you out of sheer arrogance.’
‘Consider this my repayment for what our old man owes you and Mother. When you see that lonely old fool again, remember to call him Father.’
He turned his gaze upward, glaring defiantly at the sky.
"Daoist Cangyue, hit me again!"
Another moonbeam struck him.
He barely raised his sword in time, blood gushing from his mouth.
From the heavens, Daoist Cangyue’s mocking voice echoed. "Too slow. Pathetically slow."
Before the words fully dissipated, another lunar strike fell.
"Gah!"
Blood sprayed from Feng Baiyan’s nose and mouth, yet he charged forward instead of retreating.
"Come on!"
He had resolved to die midair—stars only fall when they perish.
His hands trembled violently, his grip on the sword faltering.
Suddenly, an old memory surfaced—the image of Luo Luo during the Qingyun Tournament, battered, spitting blood, utterly humiliated.
"Tch!" Feng Baiyan grinned through the pain. "I won’t lose to you!"
With a fierce twist of his wrist, the stars behind him whirled into a frenzied vortex.
This time, he wouldn’t block.
He would take the full brunt of the attack with his body and soul, then ignite himself into the brightest star in the night sky—blasting everything back at that old monster!
"Come at me! Let’s see who’s the real coward—"
The taunt died in his throat.
His pupils contracted violently.
Daoist Cangyue materialized behind him, a moonlit blade shattering his half-formed stellar technique.
"How…?"
The old fiend should’ve been in front of him.
Daoist Cangyue sighed in mock pity. "You thought you could match my speed? Slow. Far too slow."
The silver sword gleamed, scattering starlight as it descended toward Feng Baiyan’s chest with lethal precision.
Feng Baiyan’s eyes narrowed again—
This strike wasn’t meant to kill.
It would gut him, sending his organs tumbling from the sky.
For a star, there was no greater disgrace.
Closer… closer…
He gritted his teeth, powerless to evade.
The blade’s edge grazed his cheek, the cold steel biting into bone—
"BOOM!"
At the brink of death, the sky erupted in flames!
A blazing aurora pierced through the moonlight, the deafening clash of forces sending shockwaves across the battlefield. The fiery surge intercepted Daoist Cangyue’s silver blade from the side, the impact hurling Feng Baiyan clear of the killing zone.
His eyes widened in shock. "Unity Realm?!"
From the flames rang a clear, triumphant laugh.
"Daoist Cangyue! The one who slaughtered your grandson stands before you! DARE YOU FIGHT?!"
As the embers dispersed, a radiant figure emerged from the inferno.
Feng Baiyan gasped. "Luo Luo?!"
Daoist Cangyue’s gaze sharpened.
Below, the Heavenly Path Sect disciples besieging Jiang Ling’s faction collectively sucked in a breath. "Unity! She’s reached Unity!"
Before anyone could react, a voice thick with malice slithered through the wind.
"Heh…"
In the next instant, a malevolent ghost—seething with pent-up fury—materialized midair, his leg arcing down like a guillotine to smash into Daoist Cangyue’s shoulder.
"CRACK!"
The onlookers gaped.
Another… Unity cultivator?!
Since when did Unity realms come in bulk?!
