After Mo Zhu left, Yu Zhiling lay in bed for a while, still feeling unwell. She got up and dressed.
The jade token lay beside the bed, and she picked it up to make a call.
"You told Yun Zhi and the others?" Sui Ji gritted his teeth. "Yun Zhi somehow caught me. I was planning to enter the Four Slaughter Realm after he left, but now I’ve been dragged to the Wu Family!"
Yu Zhiling acknowledged softly, "I’ve thought it through. The two of us going alone would have a high chance of dying. So, stay at the Wu Family for a few days first."
Sui Ji: "You told them everything?"
Yu Zhiling: "We don’t know what’s inside. More people mean greater strength—I need to survive."
Rustling sounds came from Sui Ji’s end, as if he had found a place to sit. He continued, "Weren’t you worried about them getting hurt if they went? If it’s too dangerous inside, we might all die."
Yu Zhiling lowered her head, fingers unconsciously tugging at the sash around her waist. "I know. I’ll do my best to protect them."
Sui Ji fell silent for a moment.
Yu Zhiling’s lips curved faintly. "Sui Ji, I’m married now. We’ve formed a Twin Life Marriage Pact. So, I have to live."
"So soon? He moves fast." Sui Ji chuckled hoarsely. "Fine, as you say. Let’s hope we all make it out alive."
He ended the call.
Yu Zhiling got up and walked out. Mo Zhu wasn’t at Listening Spring Cliff—she had only sent him away as an excuse. There were other things she needed to confirm.
She followed the mountain path to the most secluded part of Listening Spring Cliff, where a cave lay hidden. Three months ago, she had woken up here. Now, weeds had grown outside its entrance.
Pushing open the door, its aged hinges creaked loudly, startling birds from the trees.
Inside, she looked around. The cave was carved straight into the mountain, its walls solid stone. Only the single door served as an entrance. Back when "Yu Zhiling" had supposedly gone into seclusion here, disciples under Yan Shanqing’s orders had guarded it.
For three years, the door had never opened, which initially made Yu Zhiling believe her soul had entered this body.
But now she knew—the imposter had never stepped inside. The cave had been empty all along, and the guards outside had unknowingly protected nothing.
And yet, Yu Zhiling had suddenly appeared here, wearing—
At the time, she had been dressed in a hibiscus-colored cross-collared gown, the kind only the imposter would wear.
A suspicion took root in her mind.
Ten years ago, Zhuo Yu had entered the Four Slaughter Realm and truly died in the Demon Abyss, her body left inside. Ni'e had extracted her [Sleepless Soul] to steal her memories, and then You Zhou had disguised her as Zhuo Yu.
Inside the Demon Abyss, to avoid suspicion from Yingshan Sect, Ni'e must have changed into Zhuo Yu’s blue robes, while dressing Zhuo Yu’s corpse in her own clothes.
After Yu Zhiling died in another world, had her soul been transferred directly into Zhuo Yu’s corpse, then brought back to Yingshan Sect?
But how had the system sent her here…?
Yu Zhiling paused, then raised her wrist. Alongside the red string, a snake bracelet coiled around it.
Mo Zhu had once said the Huiqing Snake Bracelet could tear through space—its power immense, a treasure of the Teng Snake Clan and the entire demon race. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the system in her mind, along with the so-called "merit points," had a deeper purpose.
None of this was as simple as she’d thought. Stopping Mo Zhu’s corruption, urging him to cultivate and ascend—this wasn’t some fictional tale. Mo Zhu couldn’t possibly be the protagonist. And yet…
Why did the system want her to push Mo Zhu to train? What benefit would his increased cultivation bring?
Yu Zhiling couldn’t figure it out. Nor did she understand why, after reaching 5,000 merit points, the system still hadn’t returned all her memories.
She scanned the cave once more, confirming no other exits or signs of tampering, then left.
Upon returning to the courtyard, she found it filled with people.
Yan Shanqing, Ning Hengwu, Xiang Wuxue, and Mei Qiongge had arrived—along with Yun Zhi and Wu Zhaoyan.
Yu Zhiling froze. "Why are you all here?"
Yan Shanqing sipped his tea. "You formed a marriage pact and didn’t tell us?"
She guessed Mo Zhu had taken the initiative. She’d planned to inform them herself, but he’d beaten her to it.
"I… I was going to tell you all soon." Yu Zhiling gave an awkward laugh and sat beside Ning Hengwu.
Across from her were Yun Zhi and Wu Zhaoyan.
Yun Zhi nodded. "I heard the news late. I haven’t prepared a wedding gift yet. May I give it when you hold the ceremony?"
Yu Zhiling nodded hastily. "Of course, that’s fine."
Wu Zhaoyan’s long lashes lowered as he drained his cup. "Same for me. The gift will come later."
She thanked them one by one. Her and Mo Zhu’s decision had been abrupt, and wedding gifts weren’t trivial matters—close friends would take care in choosing. As for the ceremony, Yu Zhiling had no plans yet, but Mo Zhu seemed to have ideas, so she left it to him.
If they did hold one, it would have to wait until after the Demon Abyss matter was resolved.
She also knew their visit wasn’t solely about her marriage. Something so minor wouldn’t have drawn Yun Zhi and Wu Zhaoyan here.
After the pleasantries, Yun Zhi set down his cup. "We came about the Demon Abyss."
Yu Zhiling nodded. "I figured."
"You’re going there?"
"Yes."
"What exactly did Sui Ji tell you? Why the sudden decision?"
He didn’t know the reason, but when Yu Zhiling asked him to join her, Yun Zhi hadn’t hesitated. He trusted her enough to know she wouldn’t act without cause—hence his overnight journey from the Yun Family.
Yu Zhiling met their gazes. "You Zhou has always sought to shatter the Four Slaughter Stele and unleash the demons trapped in the Abyss, leading them to invade the Central Continent again. The one captured back then wasn’t even him—just a demonic cultivator disguised as him. All these years, he’s been scouring the Central Continent for places to breed Demon Wraiths. If he’s managed to cultivate so many here, and the Four Slaughter Stele’s barrier has been shaking lately, with something constantly ramming against it…"
"Sui Ji and I suspect the Demon Abyss holds millions of Demon Wraiths. We plan to go and suppress them."
She paused, expecting a reaction, but the group remained eerily calm. Six pairs of eyes fixed on her.
"Did I… say something wrong?"
Yan Shanqing asked, "Are you telling us the whole truth?"
Ning Hengwu looked at her hands: "You've been like this since childhood—when you're nervous, you fidget with your fingers and don’t blink while speaking. Xiao Wu, what else are you hiding? What else did Sui Ji tell you?"
Yu Zhiling’s heart skipped a beat. Under the gaze of the others, she hadn’t even realized she had these little habits.
Even now, Yu Zhiling sometimes wondered—if she truly was Yu Xiao Wu, how could her personality remain identical despite growing up in two completely different environments?
She lowered her head, her silence an implicit admission.
The room fell quiet for a long moment. After what felt like half an hour, Yu Zhiling absentmindedly took a sip of tea, cleared her slightly hoarse throat, and spoke solemnly: "You Zhou was born from the purest demonic energy in the Eternal Night Abyss of the demon realm, naturally nurtured over thousands of years. His three souls and seven spirits are different from ours. Sui Ji and I wanted to find a way to destroy him completely."
"Yu Xiao Wu, you’re still not telling the whole truth."
This time, it was Wu Zhaoyan who spoke.
Yu Zhiling pressed her lips together. She didn’t understand how she had given herself away again.
The others watched her—some sitting upright, others with arms crossed—but all six pairs of eyes were fixed on her, their stance clear: they wouldn’t relent until she revealed the truth.
Until she confessed her real plan.
Yu Zhiling took a deep breath, as if steeling herself, then raised her head to meet their gazes.
"The sheer number of demonic wraiths he’s spawned suggests something is wrong with his demonic energy. Sui Ji and I planned to go to the place where You Zhou was born—the Eternal Night Abyss in the demon realm. The demonic energy there is the purest, and it’s said to be the burial ground of past demon lords."
Silence followed her words. The others stared at her, weighing whether she was finally being honest.
Yu Zhiling added, "I’m not lying. Sui Ji and I really intended to go there."
Xiang Wuxue asked, "You didn’t tell us, only asked us to accompany you to the demon abyss. Were you planning to go to the Eternal Night Abyss alone with Sui Ji?"
Yu Zhiling parted her lips, meeting Xiang Wuxue’s scrutinizing gaze. Her voice softened. "That place is dangerous—filled with lethal arrays and suffocating demonic energy. I wasn’t planning to go alone, but… Sui Ji and I would scout ahead while the rest of you cleared the wraiths outside. If the Eternal Night Abyss proved safe, you’d join us."
She hesitated, then continued, "Besides… Sui Ji helped me recover some memories. I… I have impressions of the Eternal Night Abyss. I suspect that after escaping Chan Luo’s realm back then, I ended up there. That’s probably where I last used the Frostwind Slash. The place terrifies me—if even I’m afraid, it must be truly perilous..."
Her voice trailed off into silence.
No one spoke for a long time. Yu Zhiling lowered her head and finally murmured, "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kept this from you, nor should I have arrogantly tried to control everything."
She didn’t know why, but whenever it came to them, she always felt compelled to shoulder all the risks herself—to carve out a safe path for them.
A hand covered hers where it rested on her knee. Ning Hengwu said, "Let’s go together, Xiao Wu."
"Second Senior Sister..."
Yu Zhiling’s throat tightened, her fingers curling reflexively.
Yun Zhi spoke next. "The Yun Family has nearly three thousand elite cultivators. I’ll take half with us when we enter."
Wu Zhaoyan nodded. "Same here. Half will stay to guard our home, the other half will join us in the demon abyss. Do you have a plan for how to enter?"
Yu Zhiling answered honestly, "Sui Ji told me I’d need to summon my inner demons."
The moment the words left her mouth, the expressions of all six darkened, the briefly eased tension thickening again.
She hurried to clarify, "But now that so many of us are going, I’ve abandoned that idea. Instead, we can temporarily disable the arrays within the Four Slaughter Steles—several immortal lords have mastered them. That’s our way in."
The risk was immense. The Four Slaughter Realm sealed the demon abyss, imprisoning countless demons. The moment the arrays were deactivated, even briefly, swarms of demons might surge out.
Yet no one reacted strongly. They trusted Yu Zhiling wouldn’t endanger the Central Continent.
Warmed by their faith, she continued, "After disabling the arrays, Sui Ji will use the power of the Six Hour Seal to cast a temporary barrier over the abyss. Even if demons escape, they won’t breach the barrier to reach the Central Continent. Then we’ll jump in—but casualties are likely."
The abyss beyond the steles was a bottomless chasm. As they descended, demons would rush upward. Conflict mid-fall was inevitable.
They all understood. Wu Zhaoyan tilted his chin, signaling her to go on.
"The Six Hour Seal won’t hold long, so once we jump, we must avoid combat and land as quickly as possible. Afterward, the disciples stationed outside will reactivate the arrays. The countless slaughter formations within the abyss will activate, annihilating any demons still airborne."
Yun Zhi asked, "How do we get out?"
"We must leave high-level cultivators and disciples outside as a contingency—not everyone can enter, lest our exit be blocked. When it’s time to leave, we’ll repeat the process: the outer disciples will briefly disable the arrays, the Six Hour Seal will block escaping demons, and we’ll retreat swiftly. Once everyone’s out, the arrays will be restored."
"And inside?"
"Once in, we may be surrounded by wraiths. The disciples will hold them off while we break through to the Eternal Night Abyss."
Yu Zhiling lifted her gaze, meeting each of their eyes firmly. "I’ve already taught the Yingshan Sect disciples how to handle wraith swarms. Zhaoyan and Yun Zhi have trained the Wu and Yun Families. Disciples from other clans will need guidance from those with experience—formation-based group combat is most effective against wraiths. Fighting alone leaves one vulnerable, so these next few days will require your diligence."
With the last word spoken, the weight pressing on her heart finally eased.
She should have done this from the start. Venturing into the abyss alone with Sui Ji might have minimized casualties, but their chances of success were slim. She’d had a ninety percent chance of never returning—and even then, they might not have eradicated all the wraiths, leaving the Central Continent vulnerable.
Worse, if she died, the Central Continent—already bereft of the Immortal Alliance’s leadership—would lose another Transcendent Realm cultivator, drastically weakening its defenses.
She had been a fool.
Yan Shanqing chuckled, his expression relaxing. "Xiao Wu, when you taught the disciples how to deal with the demonic hordes, you even devised your own formation and instructed them on teamwork and division of labor. So why do you insist on being a lone wolf when it comes to yourself?"
Yu Zhiling lowered her head and murmured softly, "I'm sorry, Senior Brother. I didn’t consider things thoroughly before, and I worried you all."
Ning Hengwu, who stood closest to her, wrapped an arm around Yu Zhiling and pinched her cheek gently. "As long as you realize your mistake, that’s what matters. No more sneaking off to handle big things alone, alright? Your senior brothers and sisters are waiting for you to come home."
Yu Zhiling hugged Ning Hengwu’s waist, burying her face in the crook of her neck and cooing sweetly, "Senior Sister, I’m sorry~"
Leaning into Ning Hengwu’s embrace—warm and fragrant with orchids—surrounded by the voices of her senior brothers, sisters, and close friends, it felt as though the ten years of separation had never happened. As if she had always been by their side.
"Xiao Wu, this time, we’ll go together."
"...Alright. Together."
Yu Zhiling waited until late at night before Mo Zhu finally returned.
She was meditating when she was suddenly kissed, making her open her eyes in annoyance and swat at him.
"What are you doing? Where have you been all day? Don’t you know we’re entering the Demon Abyss in a few days?"
He had been gone the entire day—he hadn’t even come back to have lunch with her!
Mo Zhu had noticed that ever since they confirmed their relationship, Yu Zhiling had developed quite a temper. She often lashed out at him, and the number of times she hit him had increased. But Mo Zhu didn’t mind—he was happy even when scolded or struck.
Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her eyelids. "I had some matters to attend to. But I’m back now, aren’t I?"
His warm breath brushed against her face, making her giggle and squirm away, pressing her hands against his chest. "Wait, wait. Today, I met with Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, and Yun Zhi."
Mo Zhu’s expression remained unchanged as he lifted her into his lap. "What did you discuss?"
Yu Zhiling nestled against him. "We finalized the plan for entering the Demon Abyss. We need to train the Central Continent disciples to handle the demonic hordes—there will surely be many in the Abyss. Most young disciples nowadays have never encountered them, so I’m worried they won’t be able to cope."
"How long before we set out?"
"At least seven days. The disciples need to learn formations and get some practical experience against a horde. There are still some demonic remnants within the borders of Yingshan, and the Wu Family’s territory has quite a few as well."
She had thought everything through. Mo Zhu kissed her cheek. "As long as Shizun has a plan, I’ll follow. I’ll go with you to the Demon Abyss—I can be of great help."
"Of course I’d welcome your assistance. But right now, I have something to ask you." Yu Zhiling raised her wrist, showing the bracelet. "Mo Zhu, do you know how to activate the Huiqing Serpent Bracelet?"
The bracelet on her wrist couldn’t be touched by anyone else. Mo Zhu’s gaze fell upon it. "Why ask about it now?"
There were things Yu Zhiling couldn’t explain, so she gave a vague answer. "I should have died in the Demon Abyss, yet I suddenly appeared inside my secluded cultivation chamber. The only way in is through the door, which was guarded by disciples—meaning I was somehow transported inside. The only thing I can think of capable of tearing through space is this bracelet."
Cultivators at a certain level could also rend space—like how Fuchun Immortal hid the Six-Seal Scripture. But Yu Zhiling’s reappearance wasn’t so simple. It was as if something had simultaneously torn open two points in space, connecting them, and she had passed through that passage.
Mo Zhu remained silent, holding her wrist and stroking it without touching the bracelet. Once it recognized her as its master, the serpent bracelet rejected everyone else.
Yu Zhiling murmured, "And this bracelet… Ten years ago, when I left, I didn’t take it with me. I even forgot where I put it. So why is it on me now?"
She looked up at Mo Zhu, who still didn’t speak.
"Do you know something?" she asked.
When it came to this bracelet, Mo Zhu knew more than she did.
"When you left Tingchun Cliff, you buried the bracelet inside a withered Longqiu lotus in the lake and set up a barrier. No one would think to look for the Tengshe Clan’s treasure inside a decaying flower."
After all, the lake was full of lotuses and weeds—it looked like any ordinary pond.
"Later, after your death… I was summoned back to Yingshan Sect. The Sect Leader ordered me to hunt you down, but at Tingchun Cliff, I found the Huiqing Serpent Bracelet. But that was in my memories—perhaps from a past life."
In that previous timeline, Mo Zhu had already been recalled to Yingshan Sect by now, discovered the bracelet, and was likely chasing her across the Central Continent.
But in reality, Yu Zhiling hadn’t died. She had emerged from seclusion wearing the bracelet, and Mo Zhu hadn’t been summoned by Yan Shanqing—he had been brought back by Yu Zhiling herself. The bracelet, which should have been hidden in the lotus waiting for Mo Zhu, had inexplicably appeared on Yu Zhiling’s wrist and recognized her as its master.
And Yu Zhiling had received this bracelet in another world.
She couldn’t make sense of it, feeling dizzy as she nestled against Mo Zhu and nuzzled his shoulder. "So… do you know how to use it? I feel like it might still be useful."
Mo Zhu held her tighter, whispering, "This disciple doesn’t know. The bracelet is the Tengshe Clan’s treasure. I was only five when I obtained it, and my parents left in a hurry without explaining. Since it has chosen you as its master, it must have a purpose. Shizun should keep it."
Yu Zhiling absentmindedly twisted the bracelet on her wrist. She had worn it for three months now but hadn’t sensed anything unusual about it. It was hard to believe this was the Tengshe Clan’s sacred artifact.
Mo Zhu nibbled her earlobe and asked softly, "Have you eaten?"
Yu Zhiling pushed him away with a glare. "You didn’t come back to have dinner with me. What was I supposed to eat?"
Mo Zhu chuckled lowly. "My apologies, it’s this disciple’s fault. What would Shizun like to eat?"
Yu Zhiling tilted her head, her eyes glinting mischievously—a clear sign that her little brain was brewing some other idea.
Mo Zhu raised a brow as she tugged at his collar, pulling him down.
Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, "You. My little disciple."
Desire flared in Mo Zhu almost instantly. His gaze darkened as he looked at her—this woman in his arms, smiling like a cunning little fox.
He lowered his voice. "Are you still sore?"
Yu Zhiling’s cheeks warmed, inevitably recalling their previous activities. She cleared her throat and murmured, "I’m fine. You left medicine."
Mo Zhu said, "I went down the mountain and visited the kind of shop you mentioned. I bought some illustrated manuals and… other things. The shopkeeper recommended them, so I got them. I disguised myself—no one recognized me."
As a cultivator who had transcended tribulations, Yu Zhiling had no qualms about letting him roam freely. He ventured to a slightly more distant town, and with the aid of disguise techniques, no one could possibly recognize him.
Yu Zhiling wrapped her arms around his neck and glanced toward the corner of the courtyard. "I've drawn the bath—the spring water is warm."
The implication in her words was unmistakable. Mo Zhu's throat moved as he slid an arm beneath her knees and lifted her effortlessly.
His voice was rough as he asked, "Master, you said we wouldn’t depart for another seven days."
Yu Zhiling exhaled softly against his ear, her breath warm and sweet. "Mm. We won’t be apart. You can do whatever you wish."
He understood exactly what she meant.
