Luo Luo had a long, long dream.
She dreamed of herself sleeping deeply as Li Zhaoye carried her across countless mountains and endless rivers.
His warmth and scent enveloped her.
It felt safe. Secure.
The world was quiet, as if only the two of them remained.
How wonderful… she thought. If only this path would never end.
Li Zhaoye stopped once again before the courtyard gate.
He was in a foul mood.
What kind of road was this? Twisting back and forth, circling endlessly.
Just as his irritation peaked, Luo Luo stirred in his arms.
She nuzzled against him, lifting her drowsy eyes as she mumbled, "Are we home?"
Li Zhaoye had no choice but to free one hand and swipe the Qingyun Token to open the gate. "Mn."
Resting her chin on his shoulder, still half-asleep, her voice thick with sleep, she murmured, "Huh? Why’s it so dark already?"
He paused mid-step.
"You think I want to take this long?" he snapped, voice sharp. "Blame yourself for being so heavy."
"Oh." Luo Luo obediently accepted his scolding.
After a moment, she earnestly explained, "I practice swordplay every day. I have a lot of muscle, and muscle is dense."
He ignored her, stepping through the courtyard and up the stairs before nudging the chamber door open with his knee.
At the bedside, he bent to deposit her, exhaling in relief.
"Finally got you back," he grumbled, striding to the window seat and gulping straight from the teapot.
Luo Luo, lacking the insight to see through his thick skin, felt guilty. "I slept too long. You must be exhausted."
He gave a noncommittal hum.
Her remorse deepened. "After fighting Chen Xuanyi, your own energy is still depleted—"
Li Zhaoye: "?!"
In a flash, he was back at the bedside, slamming a hand against the headboard as he loomed over her, glaring.
"Depleted? Oh, come on, let’s spar then!"
Luo Luo: "..."
---
In another chamber.
"You were in the back realm, and you didn’t even speak up for me?!" Chen Xuanyi snarled at Master Qingxu.
Master Qingxu looked utterly wronged. "How did I not? We agreed—if you lost, we’d check his cultivation and disqualify him, handing you the win. Wasn’t that helping? Besides, you did win."
Chen Xuanyi nearly choked on his fury. "That counts as winning?"
He slapped his own cheeks repeatedly. "I’ve been humiliated beyond repair!"
Master Qingxu shrugged. "Well, you’re the one who couldn’t beat him."
His lips curled, his eyes practically spelling out—Weren’t you all high and mighty when you used the Taiyi Nine Forms? Mocking others for their lack of skill? And then you got pinned to the ground, begging for mercy.
A truly pitiful sight.
"Tell me," Chen Xuanyi seethed, veins bulging, "who is that man?"
Where had such a formidable opponent come from?!
"Who else could it be?" Master Qingxu replied breezily. "The Divine Sovereign, of course."
Chen Xuanyi froze as if struck by lightning.
Master Qingxu sighed. "Don’t tell me you only realized now? Tsk, tsk."
He shook his head, the very picture of someone pitying a fool.
Chen Xuanyi gritted out, word by word, "Then. What. Do. We. Do?"
Master Qingxu gazed leisurely out the window. "What to do? Nothing—you’d better focus on your upcoming match with Luo Luo. She will kill you if she gets the chance."
Chen Xuanyi laughed coldly. "You really take me for some weakling? Even if I’m at less than ten percent of my strength, losing to the Divine Sovereign is one thing—but to her? What’s she worth? A mere Golden Core cultivator."
Despite his words, his eyes narrowed slightly as he mentally reviewed every battle Luo Luo had fought.
Below Nascent Soul, Luo Luo was indeed unmatched.
But against true Nascent Soul opponents…
Gu Meng didn’t count—she’d nearly lost to Xu Junlan in the top sixteen. Had Xu Junlan been more ruthless, she’d have run Gu Meng through long before that slap. Luo Luo beating Gu Meng wasn’t surprising.
As for Feng Baiyan’s match, anyone could see Luo Luo had relied on trickery. In a direct clash, she would’ve lost without question.
"I won’t give her any chance to set up formations," Chen Xuanyi mused. "I’ll cripple her before she can react."
Master Qingxu reminded him idly, "She’s tenacious. Don’t underestimate her."
Chen Xuanyi nodded. "True."
Anyone else would’ve collapsed under Feng Baiyan’s Star Swords, never getting the chance to deploy that Gale Array.
He smirked. "But that’s all she has."
Against absolute power, petty tricks meant nothing.
"Everything that man did to me," Chen Xuanyi hissed, voice dripping with malice, "I’ll repay Luo Luo tenfold!"
Master Qingxu: "Uh…"
The way he said it sounded eerily like Gu Meng.
Chen Xuanyi narrowed his eyes. "Keep a close watch. Don’t let the Divine Sovereign rescue her!"
Master Qingxu waved a hand. "Relax. No outside interference can touch the arena—the formations will see to that."
Chen Xuanyi sneered. "Good."
"Remember this," Master Qingxu added pointedly, "as long as she holds a sword, anything is possible."
Chen Xuanyi dismissed it with a grunt. "Noted."
---
As the finals approached, the Jianmu Tree grew even livelier.
Markets blazed with lantern light, crowds reveling through the night, while the celestial walkways overflowed with stalls—too many for even the enforcers to clear.
True Lord Pangyue received two rare guests from the Divine Palace.
Holy Maiden Wu Xie spoke tonelessly, eyes downcast. "The Divine Palace seeks a fugitive. We request the use of your territory."
"Your Sect Leader need not worry," Saint Maiden Zhentu reassured gently. "This won’t disrupt the Qingyun Tournament, nor harm your sect’s reputation. May we proceed?"
True Lord Pangyue forced a smile. "Of course, of course!"
The two holy maidens exchanged glances.
Wu Xie stated, "Hand over the Netherworld Formation to us. The rest requires no further involvement from you."
"Ah—" True Lord Pangyue hesitated. "It’s not that I’m unwilling, but after recent events… the Netherworld’s current state is… complicated."
He had no desire to revisit his second son’s disgrace, yet dared not leave them unprepared.
"No matter," Zhentu said serenely. "We’ll lay our own traps. If demons intrude, all the better—we’ll eliminate them in one sweep."
True Lord Pangyue could only bow and escort them to transfer the formation’s control.
---
Luo Luo’s nose bled again.
She knew why—she’d overdone the healing pills. Li Zhaoye had fed her both their shares.
Luo Luo, you really have to stop this! she scolded herself.
Just as she resolved to quit, Li Zhaoye reappeared at her bedside.
Glancing at the sky, he asked, "Hasn’t it been a while since your last dose?"
Without waiting for an answer, he popped another pill into her mouth.
Luo Luo opened her mouth and caught the round pill between her lips. Immediately, his lean fingers—calloused and firm—pushed the pill deeper into her mouth. As the pill slid past her tongue, his fingertip pressed against her lips.
Her mind spun, and she forgot to protest.
He withdrew his hand, his fingers lightly grazing her upper and lower lips.
"Did you swallow it?" He glanced at her, asking.
Luo Luo numbly nodded, gulping down the pill.
With a casual wave, he stood and walked away, his retreating figure effortlessly graceful.
It took Luo Luo a long moment to snap out of her daze. "…"
Damn it, she’d taken too much medicine again!
She glared at him angrily, only to find him sitting by the windowsill, one knee bent, elbow resting on it, his hand cupping his cheek.
Lost in thought, he absentmindedly raised a finger to his mouth, nibbling lightly—just like he often did with a blade of grass.
Luo Luo’s head buzzed, her ears burning instantly.
That finger… had just touched her lips!
Dizzy, she quickly burrowed under the blankets, leaving only her eyes exposed.
And even then, she didn’t dare look his way.
Three days passed in a blink.
Naturally, such a short time wasn’t enough for full recovery.
The pills merely helped the Qingyun disciples regain enough strength to compete without being drenched in blood. Internal injuries and hidden wounds would take much longer to heal.
Li Zhaoye reassured Luo Luo, "Don’t worry, Chen Xuanyi isn’t faring any better."
Luo Luo nodded. "Yeah!"
This was how they always spoke—no mushiness, no sentimentality. None of that existed between them.
And she loved it. She loved how he talked, loved his arrogant, untouchable demeanor even more.
The two walked side by side along the sky corridor toward the arena.
She tilted her head to look at him, just as he glanced down.
Their eyes met—briefly—before parting.
Her body and heart swelled with warmth.
Walking shoulder to shoulder like this had once been a common sight, something she’d never thought twice about. But now, her chest burned with emotions so fierce she wished they could keep walking like this forever.
Straight to the ends of the world.
She pressed her lips together. "This path is so long."
He chuckled. "Sure is."
She added, "You’ll have to carry me back after the fight."
He laughed again. "No problem."
The Qingyun finals had finally drawn the attention of the higher-realm powerhouses.
They sat atop floating platforms suspended in the void, watching the decisive battle unfold.
The defending champion versus his former fiancée.
The scandal alone was enough to set the gossip mill ablaze.
Luo Luo gripped her sword as she stepped onto the dueling platform, lifting her gaze to meet Chen Xuanyi’s.
He stared back, his eyes flickering violently—a storm of hatred and vengeful triumph swirling within.
Clearly, he blamed her for his previous loss and was determined to crush her in retaliation.
The golden bell had yet to chime.
Luo Luo spoke first. "You’re becoming less and less like Li Zhaoye. Is this how all body-snatchers end up?"
Chen Xuanyi sneered coldly. "If deluding yourself makes you feel better, go ahead."
He’d expected her to say something like this in public.
A quick scan of the crowd confirmed no one took her words seriously.
Luo Luo wasn’t disappointed. She steadied her mind, waiting for the bell.
"Ding—"
Both moved at once.
A flash of sword light filled Luo Luo’s shrinking pupils.
The gap in cultivation was too vast. Chen Xuanyi struck with full force from the start—she barely managed to block before the impact sent her flying like a broken kite!
"Guh—!"
Blood sprayed from her lips. Before her vision cleared, Chen Xuanyi had already cut through the crimson mist, charging after her without pause.
He gave her no time to recover.
Blood speckled his face, his expression icy, lips pressed into a ruthless line.
Luo Luo twisted aside, but pain exploded beneath her left shoulder.
The Taiyi Sword’s energy pierced clean through her body.
Blood gushed, soaking her robes in an instant.
She stifled a groan, hastily raising her sword to guard.
"Clang!"
A terrifying force slammed into her blade, then her body.
Her organs lurched. Another mouthful of blood spilled as she was sent crashing into the opposite corner of the platform.
She forced herself to roll, using her sword to push up onto one knee.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
In just one exchange, Luo Luo was already severely wounded.
Feng Baiyan nearly leaped out of his seat. "Fight back! Hit him! Where’s the skill you used against me?!"
Seeing the girl who’d defeated him now being pummeled like this was a blow to his pride.
The Taiyi Sect disciples gaped. "Is he treating Little Junior Sister like a mortal enemy?"
Other spectators winced. "This is hopeless. She should just forfeit!"
Luo Luo shook her head, trying to clear the ringing in her ears.
This level of brutality was within her expectations.
She looked up at Chen Xuanyi.
He strode forward, then lunged mid-step, his sword flashing toward her again.
Luo Luo twisted her wrist, angling her blade to deflect.
But the spiritual energy radiating from the Taiyi Sword was overwhelming. Darkness edged her vision as her own sword was knocked back into her.
"Crack!"
The sound of her ribs breaking was unmistakable.
Her feet skidded across the platform before she steadied herself, spitting out another mouthful of blood.
Chen Xuanyi smirked. "You can still surrender now."
"Tch." Luo Luo arched a brow, mimicking Li Zhaoye’s manner. "I’m going easy on you, you bastard!"
His face twisted in fury.
"You’re asking for death!"
His sword came down like a guillotine.
"Thud!"
Luo Luo was sent sprawling, tumbling head over heels.
"Another free hit, bastard!"
Multiple bones were broken now, the pain forcing sharp, uneven breaths from her.
"Bastard, stealing Li Zhaoye’s body—you’ve got no shame!" she spat through bloody lips.
Chen Xuanyi laughed coldly. "Will this nonsense help you win?"
He closed the distance, slamming a palm into her dantian.
"Ghk—!"
Blood sprayed as she was hurled backward.
In midair, her body contorted unnaturally—too many fractures to count.
She hit the platform with a force that shook the entire structure.
Chen Xuanyi leaped after her, foot aimed like a hammer.
Luo Luo rolled aside at the last second, her sword scraping against the ground.
The spot where she’d lain shattered like glass.
She scrambled to the far edge, raising her sword defensively. "Bastard, this is how you killed Li Zhaoye back then, isn’t it? Come on, do it again—kill me too!"
As she spoke, she channeled every drop of spiritual energy into her blade.
Her hair and robes billowed as a desperate, unyielding aura erupted around her.
"Eat this, bastard!"
She launched forward.
Chen Xuanyi raised his sword to block.
Flames erupted along Luo Luo’s blade as she brought it down with all her might.
"BOOM!"
Divine light burst from the Taiyi Sword.
Luo Luo didn’t retreat. She pressed harder, then struck again. And again.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Her meridians and dantian screamed in protest, threatening to tear apart under the strain.
Chen Xuanyi wasn’t faring much better.
The two were now too close, leaving no room to maneuver—only a brutal exchange of injuries.
The wounds inflicted by Li Zhaoye three days ago flared up one by one.
He could tell Luo Luo was in even worse shape.
Yet there was an utterly terrifying aura about her—as if she feared neither pain, nor injury, nor death.
His pupils trembled. "...Madwoman!"
Another madwoman!
Sparks of flame scattered as she, a mere Golden Core cultivator with an ordinary sword, clashed head-on against his divine blade.
She could barely breach his defenses, yet she was like a nail, hammering relentlessly into his hidden injuries.
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
His wounds flared violently, blood surging up his throat. Chen Xuanyi swallowed it back harshly.
Finally seizing a brief respite in her storm of attacks, he swung his sword, unleashing a burst of Taiyi True Breath to forcefully shove Luo Luo away.
She crashed into a corner of the arena, using her sword to prop herself up, struggling to rise.
Her blade scraped unevenly against the ground, unable to steady her.
Her palm slipped in the pool of her own blood with a sickening squelch.
Chen Xuanyi scanned the arena.
Facing absolute strength, she clearly had no focus left for any tricks like formations.
He strode toward her.
His hidden injuries ached, his face twitching involuntarily.
He justified his cruelty with cold conviction: "You refuse to surrender? Then don’t blame me for repaying you in kind for what you did to Gu Meng that day."
Luo Luo managed to rise, barely.
She raised her sword—only for him to knock it aside with a swing of his Taiyi Sword.
Freeing a hand, he clenched his fist and drove it into her dantian.
"Thud!"
Veins bulged on Luo Luo’s forehead.
Gritting her teeth, she swung her sword again, aiming for his Taiyi Sword.
Ting.
He caught her before she could fly back, then struck her again.
Luo Luo spat blood, laughing wildly. "So this... is how you killed Li Zhaoye!"
As she weakly thrust her sword once more, his fist slammed into her dantian again.
She gasped but continued shouting, "Crushed bones, severed meridians? Not enough—come at me again!"
"Ting."
"Thud!"
She collapsed once more.
Her vision swam with red, like a blood-soaked dusk.
That day, he too had faced an insurmountable foe.
Did it hurt? Yes. But the greater pain was the fear in his heart.
'If he sees me like this, he’ll grieve.'
'If she knows, she’ll grieve.'
Her head lolled to the side. In her blurred sight, Chen Xuanyi’s figure loomed closer.
It reminded her of that beach.
Under a crimson sunset, Master Qingxu had advanced step by step toward Li Zhaoye.
Li Zhaoye could no longer move.
Meridians severed, bones shattered—death was certain. But someone was still waiting for him.
The red in her vision deepened.
A hopeless fight, yet a reason to survive at all costs.
And in that moment, she grasped the Absolute Sword Intent.
Tears streamed down Luo Luo’s face.
"Tears won’t save you," Chen Xuanyi sneered. "Regret? Too late!"
His voice wavered, heavy with exertion.
"What a pity," he mused, savoring his victory. "If you’d threatened me with death that day, you might’ve forced something out of me. But all that talk, and now you don’t even have the strength to surrender."
Even if Luo Luo still clutched her sword, what did it matter? She couldn’t even lift a finger.
Chen Xuanyi stepped forward.
Suddenly—a flash of dazzling crimson filled his vision.
A single strike!
Chen Xuanyi couldn’t describe what he saw.
Lonely, resolute, magnificent... a strike born from death itself! Just as Master Qingxu had said—this sword was peerless, beyond words.
He barely raised his Taiyi Sword in defense.
"Scree—ting!"
A horrifying crack echoed.
Before he could look down, fissures spiderwebbed across the divine blade.
"Whine—whirr!"
It trembled weakly in his grip, whimpering.
Chen Xuanyi realized in terror: she had been striking the same spot all along.
Enlightenment came too late.
This sword had pierced Master Qingxu, pierced Wu Xie.
How could a wounded, shaken Chen Xuanyi withstand it?
"Crash!"
The divine sword shattered.
"Thunk!"
The blade plunged into his dantian.
Luo Luo stood firm, though her strength was spent.
Her icy gaze burned with murderous intent.
Agony tore through Chen Xuanyi, dragging him back into his nightmares.
"You’re finished," Luo Luo whispered, lips curling. "You’ll rot inside this ruined body until you die."
Chen Xuanyi’s lips trembled. No, no, no...
His abdomen convulsed with unbearable pain.
She had stabbed his Nascent Soul.
The Nascent Soul was the true self—once destroyed, there was no path to restoration!
Only one desperate option remained: in this critical moment, forcibly dissolve his Nascent Soul and ascend to the Divine Transformation realm!
Though gravely wounded, he could preserve his foundation for the future.
The decision was made in an instant.
Thankfully, Luo Luo’s strength was spent—her strike had been a fraction too slow. Otherwise, she would have killed him.
Chen Xuanyi gritted his teeth, swiftly forming hand seals.
Taiyi True Breath surged, shattering the Nascent Soul to ascend!
"Boom!"
Luo Luo’s sword missed its mark, failing to destroy the Nascent Soul.
Yet her face showed no regret—only wild, triumphant laughter.
During Divine Transformation, the true self was laid bare.
Bathed in golden light, before countless eyes, Chen Xuanyi’s true form was revealed.
Luo Luo staggered back, addressing the crowd.
"Look! He’s not Li Zhaoye!" Her smile was radiant. "He’s Chen Xuanyi!"
The world erupted in shock.
