"Xu... junior?"
"It's the senior sister and brother—they're back!"
Master Yuan barely maintained his composure as he half-stumbled, half-glided into the sword formation.
Above the clouds, a massive warship rumbled through the thunderous sky, emerging with a deafening roar as it charged straight toward two mountain-sized demons.
"Hmph," Master Yuan sneered. "If I hadn't diverted the sect's grand formation to seal the Nether Abyss, do you think this measly flying vessel could breach our sacred grounds?"
Elder Bai couldn't help but retort, "If it didn’t break in, you’d already be a goner!"
"Pfah." Master Yuan scoffed. "Since when do I need these brats to rescue me?"
Elder Bai rolled his eyes. "Oh, of course, of course."
As they spoke, the warship’s dragon-headed prow collided with one of the lunging demons.
The impact was akin to smashing into a mountain.
Master Yuan frowned. "What do these youngsters know of battle? Form up—prepare to assist me in rescuing them!"
By all appearances, the collision should have shattered the ship and sent its occupants plummeting.
Elder Bai taunted with exaggerated sarcasm, "Oh no, oh no! Surely someone wouldn’t miss this golden chance to reclaim the Sect Leader’s Token, would they?"
Master Yuan: "..."
Others chuckled and sighed. "Elder Bai, spare Master Yuan the torment!"
With the world in chaos, the position of sect leader was no longer a coveted prize but a burning-hot burden.
To be sect leader meant bearing responsibility and sacrifice.
If the demons breached the defenses under the leader’s watch, their name would be cursed for eternity.
"BOOM—!"
The obsidian warship collided with the demon midair.
The air quaked as shockwaves rippled outward.
In an instant, blood rained like a waterfall.
A deep, resonant hum echoed as the warship tore through the demon’s flesh, emerging from the mountain of gore in a slow, gruesome spectacle.
"Whoa..." "Incredible!" "That’s insane!"
The onlookers gaped in awe.
"Hmph. They’re just relying on external power," Master Yuan scoffed. "If anything, credit goes to the warship’s master. What does it have to do with these whelps?"
Elder Bai clicked his tongue. "Keep deluding yourself."
One demon remained in the mountains.
The warship couldn’t turn fast enough—the demon raised its claws, roaring as it aimed to slice the vessel in half.
Then Xu Junzhu moved.
With a light tap against the ship’s rail, she soared into the sky, hovering midair.
Her sleeves billowed, and the temperature plummeted. Frost swirled around her as if winter itself had descended.
The demon’s claws froze instantly, encased in ice.
"Crack—crack—CRACK!"
The crisp sound of shattering ice served as a chilling prelude before a blinding sword light—pale as jade—swept across half the sky.
"SHIIING—!"
The world turned to ice. All life seemed to hold its breath.
Gasps erupted from the ground. "The Sect Leader?! Is it the Sect Leader?! Has the Sect Leader returned?!"
Master Yuan stared, dumbstruck.
"Ha!" Elder Bai gloated, vindicated. "Seems everyone’s already calling our Xu Junzhu ‘Sect Leader’ without protest. What does that tell you?"
"Wha—what?! Senior Sister?! Senior Sister reached the Divine Transformation stage?!"
"Damn—that’s insane!"
Elder Bai stroked his beard smugly. "And this is just the beginning."
Master Yuan’s face twisted through a spectrum of emotions.
Finally, he flicked his sleeve and huffed, "At my peak, slaying a demon or two would’ve been child’s play. Honestly—"
Behind him, the crowd was already in an uproar, drowning out his words.
"Senior Sister! Senior Sister!"
"Senior Sister is invincible! Absolute legend!"
"Senior Sister, take me with you! I wanna pilot that warship too!"
The obsidian warship slowly rotated, its cannons locking onto the remaining demons below, reducing them to ash with precise blasts.
A breeze stirred.
Xu Junzhu landed before the crowd. After brief greetings, she cut straight to the point: "Where is Qing Xu?"
Master Yuan’s brow furrowed stubbornly.
Before he could reply, the others clamored to tattle.
"Master Qing Xu fled! Left a wooden puppet as a decoy—no one knows where he’s hiding!"
"Haven’t seen him since the crisis began!"
"Who knew he’d turn out like this?"
"Understood." Xu Junzhu nodded and turned to leave.
Master Yuan called after her, "Wait—Qing Xu carries the Breath of the Primordial Mist."
His expression soured as he justified himself, "Once I discovered it, I took every precaution. Otherwise, the demons would’ve broken through long ago."
Li Zhaoye and Luo Luo disembarked from the ship.
Hearing this, Luo Luo nodded. "Master Yuan means well."
Before he could feel gratified, she added, "He’s just not very capable."
Master Yuan: "..."
Did honesty have to be so brutal?
Xu Junlan maneuvered the warship, coordinating with the sect’s defensive formation to lure out demons one by one for elimination.
Master Yuan’s burden lightened considerably.
With the situation stabilized, Xu Junzhu left the rear mountains, heading with Luo Luo and Li Zhaoye toward That Year’s Blossoms.
"Will he be there?"
"Yes." Luo Luo was certain.
The setting sun dyed the demon-bloodied peaks crimson as the trio arrived at the entrance of That Year’s Blossoms.
Xu Junzhu’s gaze settled on a mossy stone slab.
"Master’s aura lingers here."
This slab was perfect for sitting and admiring the view.
On that final day, Qing Xu and Lingxue must have sat here for hours—until dusk faded into night.
"Ling—"
Her sword, Frostless, trembled faintly in its sheath.
Xu Junzhu rested a hand on it.
Was her master’s spirit angered? Or was the sword itself grieving for its wielder?
She couldn’t tell.
"Let’s go." Li Zhaoye tilted his head. "The old man’s waited long enough for his reincarnation."
Luo Luo nodded firmly, her eyes alight with determination.
Backlit by the sunset, the two stepped into the peach-hued mist of That Year’s Blossoms.
Xu Junzhu tightened her grip on the sword and followed.
Despite being called a forbidden ground, That Year’s Blossoms had no barriers.
A Dao Lord’s sanctum needed no locks—their mere presence commanded reverence.
No warnings, no threats. True authority required none.
"Clang."
Li Zhaoye drew his sword, clasped Luo Luo’s wrist, and stepped into the ethereal peach mist.
A wash of silver-pink engulfed them.
For Luo Luo, the sight was familiar.
Silver threads traced the petals’ edges, gold dust shimmered on their surfaces. The mist was gossamer silk, the spring scenery a dreamy shower of blossoms.
Fragrance enveloped them—a decadent, intoxicating allure.
"...Huh?"
The peach-blossom rain brushed past like an illusion, vanishing as quickly as it came.
The trio exchanged puzzled glances.
That Year’s Blossoms held neither Qing Xu nor any traps.
Passing through the mist left them standing exactly where they’d started.
"BOOM—!"
A deafening explosion rocked the rear mountains.
"CRREEEAK—GROAN..."
The sound of something colossal snapping echoed through the peaks, as if the pillars of heaven had shattered.
Then, thick yellow-green fog surged, swallowing the valleys, blotting out the sky as the earth itself seemed to collapse.
Xu Junzhu's pupils constricted sharply. "No! The battle cruiser is in trouble!"
In a single step, she teleported into the clouds and looked down, only to suck in a sharp, horrified breath. Her heart pounded with dread.
The entire back mountain had collapsed in a massive landslide. The enormous warship lay broken in two, buried beneath rubble and swirling yellow dust. Dark red blood seeped through the cracks in the rocks.
Xu Junzhu's eyes trembled as she gripped her sword, focusing intently.
Beneath the shattered keel and hull, countless half-buried bodies writhed in agony.
Under the dust, it was a scene straight from hell.
"How did this happen?" Xu Junzhu murmured, her voice hollow.
A deep, planet-shifting rumble echoed from behind the mountain peaks.
"Groooan…"
A massive claw emerged, digging into the towering cliff face. Where it struck, the rock crumbled like brittle sand.
The demon's body slowly rose into view.
Like a mountain lifting from the earth, it blotted out half the sky in an instant, looming over the three survivors near the peach blossoms.
It raised a razor-sharp talon and stabbed toward them.
"BOOM—"
The claw descended like an inverted peak, shaking the very fabric of space as it moved. The friction between its tip and the air ignited a roaring wave of flames.
A fiery meteor, unstoppable.
Xu Junzhu gasped, her spiritual energy surging wildly. She formed a hand seal, unleashing a blizzard of frost.
"CRACKLE!"
The icy barrier shattered on impact.
The burning claw crashed down toward her.
Luo Luo darted to Xu Junzhu's side, grabbed her arm, and yanked her backward in a swift retreat.
"GROOOOOM—BOOM!"
The claw slammed into the mountainside, obliterating the ridge and sending molten lava bubbling up from the roots of the earth.
"Don’t worry!" Luo Luo shouted over the deafening roar, right into Xu Junzhu’s ear. "This! Is! A! Nightmare!"
Xu Junzhu snapped back to reality.
A trace of color returned to her deathly pale face.
"Right," she whispered. "Qing Xu’s signature trick—the Void Nightmare."
She looked up at the towering demon.
As it moved, its colossal form eclipsed the sky entirely.
Xu Junzhu hissed, "How horrifying!"
Luo Luo waved a hand dismissively. "Dreams can be anything."
Xu Junzhu nodded. "Then how do we fight it?"
Luo Luo grinned, excitement flashing in her eyes. "This big guy looks like he’s begging for a beating."
Xu Junzhu: "…?"
Luo Luo leaped into the air.
With a flick of her body, she soared toward the demon on the raging winds—only to see Li Zhaoye already standing atop its head, gripping his sword with both hands and driving it straight into the beast’s skull.
The demon’s agonized roar shook heaven and earth.
It thrashed its mountainous head violently, but Li Zhaoye held firm, one hand on his sword, the other braced against its armored scales. He glanced down lazily at Luo Luo.
"Come give me a hand."
Luo Luo: "Got it!"
She rode the wind, darting to his side in an instant.
With a swift hand seal, Li Zhaoye slammed his palm downward. The demon’s skull cracked like brittle ice.
"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!"
He wrenched his sword sideways.
The skull split open, revealing a dark, pulsing mass of brain matter—and within it, an amber-like crystal encasing a faint green silhouette.
Clearly, this was Qing Xu, the one controlling the nightmare.
Li Zhaoye tilted his head. "Go kill him."
Beneath his blade, the demon’s skull writhed, trying to heal. He wedged his sword deeper and kicked against another plate of bone as hard as steel.
Luo Luo nodded and plunged downward.
Her sword, Qiushui, slashed through the foul-smelling brain matter, clearing a path.
In a flash, she stood before the amber prison.
Inside the thick crystal, Qing Xu floated peacefully, as if asleep.
Luo Luo raised her sword, aiming straight for his heart.
Suddenly, the earth trembled again.
Above her, the skull’s plates began to close. Li Zhaoye’s veins bulged as he strained to hold them apart.
"BOOM!"
A muffled grunt—Xu Junzhu had been struck by the demon’s claw.
"Hurry!" Li Zhaoye urged, his voice tense.
Luo Luo’s brow twitched.
She steadied herself, staring at Qing Xu in the amber. Softly, she asked, "Li Ermiao, why did you lock yourself away?"
The sleeping dreamweaver didn’t answer.
Luo Luo sighed. "I still have so much to say to you."
"CRACK. CRACK. CRACK."
The light from above narrowed—the skull was nearly shut.
"Luo Luo, do it!" Li Zhaoye’s voice was strained.
Luo Luo paused, then suddenly smiled.
"Fine!"
She gathered all her strength and thrust her sword forward—
"SHATTER!"
The amber exploded.
Just as the blade was about to pierce Qing Xu’s heart, Luo Luo twisted her wrist. A surge of sword energy shot upward instead!
"WHOOSH—BOOM!"
The energy ignited midair, streaking through the narrowing gap and slamming into Li Zhaoye.
His pupils shrank. He barely blocked it before flipping backward through the sky.
"Ah! What’s the big idea?!" His voice was suddenly Qing Xu’s. "Why attack me?"
Luo Luo pressed her lips together, transforming into a streak of fire as she chased after him.
When she caught up, their eyes met.
Exposed, he dropped the act, clicking his tongue. "How’d you figure it out?"
Luo Luo swung her sword without answering.
"BOOM!"
Flames roared downward. Qing Xu dodged, the heat grazing his robes.
"No way," he muttered, baffled. "Every word, every move—I copied Li Zhaoye perfectly. There’s no flaw!"
Luo Luo stabbed again. "SWISH!"
Qing Xu had mimicked Li Zhaoye’s urgent tone from their last nightmare encounter—but he hadn’t realized Li Zhaoye had been acting then.
Only Luo Luo and Li Zhaoye knew the truth: he never called her by name.
As her flaming sword missed, Luo Luo couldn’t help but smile.
"Master, you really never paid much attention to us, did you?"
Qing Xu’s lips still curled, but the warmth in his eyes vanished—like a mask with a painted grin.
"CRACK!"
A crisp sound split the air beside Luo Luo.
Li Zhaoye tore through the void, his sword flashing as he emerged.
Tall, poised, radiating arrogance.
"Old man, dressing up as a woman at your age—have you no shame?" Li Zhaoye laughed.
He glanced at Luo Luo.
"He copied you."
"He copied you."
They spoke in unison.
Then, grinning, they turned back to Qing Xu. "Copycat!"
Qing Xu: "…Tch."
He had split the nightmare, hoping to pit them against each other while he watched—but he’d sorely underestimated their bond.
Seeing his plan fail, Qing Xu flicked his sleeve, dissolving the triple-layered nightmare and recalling all his soul fragments.
"CRASH!"
The real Xu Junzhu tumbled out of the void.
"Almost fell for it!" She exhaled shakily. "Lucky for me, Master Qing Xu underestimated me."
Earlier, Qing Xu had imitated Luo Luo and Li Zhaoye's sneak attack on her—clearly harboring ill intent—yet his strikes weren’t even as ruthless as theirs.
Xu Junzhu didn’t know whether to be angry or amused.
"Li Ermiao," Li Zhaoye drawled lazily, "you’re always scheming and plotting. Don’t you ever get tired?"
Luo Luo was speechless: "…"
Don’t throw stones when you live in a glass house, you sly old fox.
As if reading her mind, Li Zhaoye didn’t turn around, simply reaching back to press a hand against her head. "Fool, in our house, we call it ‘resourceful.’"
Luo Luo: "…"
While they bantered, the sealing threads had already crept stealthily toward Qing Xu.
"Swish!"
Killing intent erupted without warning as Li Zhaoye struck unannounced. Countless sealing threads sharpened like blades, slicing toward Qing Xu’s soul.
A net of heaven and earth—nowhere to hide.
Qing Xu chuckled lowly. "Naïve child, have you forgotten whose domain this is?"
His soul abruptly dispersed, and the sealing threads cut through empty air.
The raging winds and drifting clouds coalesced into his enormous face. He opened his mouth—and inhaled sharply!
"Boom… hum…"
The entire world twisted and distorted. The space where the three stood became the eye of a massive whirlpool, spiraling toward Qing Xu’s devouring maw.
Luo Luo fumed. "You dare criticize Taiyi and Tianyin? You’re just as much a monster as they are!"
The surrounding air whirled violently, lashing at their faces like knives. Her body lifted uncontrollably.
Li Zhaoye extended a hand. "The blood."
Xu Junzhu gave a slight nod.
As the three were swept toward the gaping abyss, Xu Junzhu formed a blade with her fingers and sliced her wrist, drawing forth the lingering soul-blood of their unfulfilled Heartbond Oath. She passed it to Li Zhaoye.
Behind the monstrous mouth, an endless chasm loomed.
"Li Ermiao," Luo Luo laughed against the gale, "did you forget? Our Li Zhaoye is a genius—he only needs to learn something once!"
Sword techniques? Once.
Cultivation methods? Once.
The puppet-body substitution art? Once.
After being possessed once, he mastered possessing birds, insects, and fish.
And this nightmare technique—he’d experienced it far more than once.
As she spoke, Li Zhaoye casually fused the soul-blood into a pre-prepared Illusion Soul Jade. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying toward Qing Xu’s omnipresent soul.
Had Qing Xu been in human form, he might’ve dodged.
But here, he was everywhere—sky above, earth below.
"Uh—?!"
Between Qing Xu and Lingxue, unresolved karma lingered.
In a dazed instant, Luo Luo and the others found themselves transformed into mosquitoes, appearing in an unfamiliar cave dwelling.
Luo Luo’s first sight was Chen Xuanyi’s face.
"Qin Wuyi is gravely injured, unconscious," Chen Xuanyi murmured, pupils trembling with suppressed excitement. "She’s ensnared by the Void Nightmare. This is our chance!"
Qing Xu sighed dramatically. "Of all times… Lingxue and I just formed our Heartbond, and before we could even enjoy our wedding night, I have to go risk my life for you. If I die, do you know how much resentment a virgin ghost can hold?"
"Enough," Chen Xuanyi said. "Don’t pretend you haven’t waited for this moment. I only want Qin Wuyi’s cultivation. Her soul and the Void Nightmare are yours."
Qing Xu shrugged. "Fine. I’ll handle it. Keep an eye on my wife—she’ll panic if she can’t find me."
Chen Xuanyi smiled. "Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Lingxue doesn’t interfere."
As he strode out of the cave, Luo Luo the mosquito flapped her wings furiously against Li Zhaoye beside her.
It all connects! Everything falls into place!
Not long after Qing Xu and Lingxue formed their Heartbond, one of them betrayed it, turning the oath into a shackle.
Qing Xu pinned the blame on Lingxue, claiming she’d fallen for her master, Chen Xuanyi.
And Chen Xuanyi had only reached the Unity Realm by inheriting the legacy of the previous Dao Lord, Qin Wuyi—something Feng Guanhai never let him forget, mocking him as the "King of Leftovers."
Luo Luo: "Buzz?"
So the Heartbond fractured when Qing Xu targeted Qin Wuyi?
Li Zhaoye pressed a wing against her, hiding in the shadows as they watched the memory unfold. Qing Xu drew a wisp of Primordial Mist from an inkstone, weaving a soul art to drag Qin Wuyi’s unconscious spirit into the nightmare.
The three mosquitoes landed on Qing Xu’s forehead.
"Buzz."
"Hmm…" Qing Xu sat on the windowsill of a brothel, legs dangling, swaying idly. "Let’s make Dao Lord Qin experience life as a blind courtesan… I’ll be her sole salvation."
He closed his eyes, and the illusory nightmare took shape around him.
"You lofty immortals," he murmured, "you’ve never fallen into the mud, never known piercing agony, never been humiliated or despairing. How could you understand why the wretched are so dark-hearted?"
His laughter grew louder, wilder.
Luo Luo knew of Qin Wuyi—the creator of the Wuyi Sword Array, a woman who’d spent her life slaying demons, only to perish with the Void Nightmare. Little did she know it’d been Qing Xu and Chen Xuanyi’s doing.
She must’ve been a woman of unshakable righteousness.
And her righteousness had seared Qing Xu’s twisted soul.
The nightmare solidified.
Behind a pearwood screen, a young girl’s muffled screams echoed.
In the nightmare, Qin Wuyi remembered nothing. Qing Xu had imposed his own darkest memories onto her.
"Does it hurt now?" Qing Xu mused, gazing into the distance. "Who’s born to suffer? Let’s see you preach your lofty ideals from the gutter. Hah! Sect Master, Dao Lord, Heaven’s favored daughter—ha! Hahaha!"
He slapped his knee, roaring with laughter.
"What a shame Lingxue won’t see you writhing like a maggot," he sighed. "She idolized you so much… it disgusted me."
The screams behind the screen faded.
The tortured girl had passed out.
Soon, the madam ushered the torturer out, simpering, "Take good care of our little money tree!"
Moments later, the girl awoke—and soft, pained whimpers escaped her.
Qing Xu smirked. "Strange. That torment felt like a century to me. Yet for her, it’s over so quickly."
He snapped his fingers. "Again!"
Nothing changed.
"Can’t control it… My cultivation’s too weak, my soul arts too crude. Ah, Lingxue was right—I should’ve practiced harder."
Sighing, he hopped down and padded silently toward the screen.
Luo Luo couldn’t bear to watch. She perched on Li Zhaoye’s back, wings shielding her eyes, heart pounding.
Then—
"Crash—clang—thud!"
Behind the screen, furniture toppled. A basin clattered to the floor.
Luo Luo was startled, instinctively opening her eyes to look.
The one who had knocked over the wooden stand and basin was Qing Xu.
His eyes were wide, his thin shoulders trembling slightly as he gasped for breath, staring in disbelief at the young girl on the bed.
"No… no… it can’t be… it can’t be…"
His hands flailed unconsciously at his sides as he staggered backward.
"How… is this possible…"
In the nightmare he had created for himself, he had also forged a horror he would never forget for the rest of his life—
The tortured Qin Wuyi bore a face identical to Lingxue’s.
