They carved a path through the chaos.
Above the Abyss of Demons, Yun Zhi and Wu Zhaoyan watched as flashes of swordlight occasionally pierced through the depths—proof of relentless slaughter. For such brilliance to reach their eyes from so far below, the strikes must have been unleashed with full force, and the number of enemies down there must be staggering.
Occasionally, demons and fiendish ghouls would claw their way up the abyss, only to be swiftly obliterated by the front line of powerful cultivators before they could even breach the Six-Seal Barrier.
Yan Shanqing’s expression was grave, as was Mei Qiongge’s. Ever since Yu Zhiling and Mo Zhu had leaped into the abyss, the two had worn identical looks of solemnity.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the jade token at Yan Shanqing’s waist glowed once more.
Yu Zhiling’s voice came through: "Send the disciples down. The bottom of the abyss isn’t as dangerous now. Mo Zhu and I are holding the line here."
Yan Shanqing ended the transmission and raised his hand. "Those at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm and above—jump first. Avoid engaging with the ghouls and demons if possible. If you must fight, end it quickly."
"Yes!"
Hundreds upon hundreds of cultivators plunged into the abyss like a dark tide.
Wu Zhaoyan glanced at Yun Zhi. "You’re frail. Stay here and guard the Slaughter Stele. Once we’re all down, seal the barrier."
"Mm." Yun Zhi didn’t argue.
The Slaughter Stele needed guarding. If You Zhou had left any hidden forces in the Central Plains, their descent into the abyss would be tantamount to walking into a death trap.
Wu Zhaoyan leaped into the abyss, followed by the Wu family disciples in droves.
Yun Zhi motioned for the Yun family disciples to go as well. Within moments, over ten thousand cultivators had descended, leaving only two thousand behind to guard the entrance.
Shu Feng approached Yun Zhi and bowed. "Master, I wish to go as well."
Yun Zhi replied, "We don’t know what awaits below. This is the Central Plains’ counterattack. Do you understand that entering could mean death?"
"I understand." Shu Feng’s voice was firm. "Someone has to die. I’m willing."
Yun Zhi’s expression darkened. His thin lips pressed together as he placed a hand on Shu Feng’s shoulder and sighed.
"Go."
Shu Feng gripped his sword and strode to the edge of the abyss. Peering into its unfathomable depths, he could hear the distant shrieks of ghouls and the clangor of battle. Even though Yu Zhiling and Mo Zhu had cleared most of the dangers below, the abyss remained a nightmare incarnate.
He turned back to look at his master. Yun Zhi stood at the forefront of the crowd, his white robes and silver hair stark against his sickly frame.
Suddenly, Shu Feng remembered Yun Zhi’s words—that Yu Zhiling was a good person, that she had saved countless lives.
Now, it seemed truer than ever. That terrifying abyss—she had jumped without hesitation.
Shu Feng bowed. "Master, I’m going."
Yun Zhi nodded.
Without another word, Shu Feng turned and leaped into the abyss.
The disciples followed in waves. With two Transcendent Realm experts leading the charge and high-level cultivators descending first, those who came after faced little ambush during their fall. Casualties were minimal.
As soon as they landed, the disciples formed battle formations. Even those from different families banded together, adopting the Central Plains’ strategy of coordinated combat—long-range annihilation through killing arrays.
Once all the disciples had entered, Yun Zhi reactivated the Slaughter Stele’s barrier alone. The remaining ghouls and demons climbing the abyss were instantly shredded by its countless killing formations.
Yu Zhiling stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Mo Zhu as Yan Shanqing and Mei Qiongge rushed over.
"Little Five!"
From the abyss’s depths, the view ahead was a sea of crimson eyes and ghostly flames. Beyond lay the Northern Demon Realm, and from the abyss, more demons surged toward them.
Yu Zhiling said, "The ghoul horde is vast, and these demons obey You Zhou’s command. To defeat them, we must capture their leader. Since he’s hiding in the shadows, he must be plotting something—and he won’t want us finding the Land of Eternal Night. He’ll send these ghouls after me and Sui Ji."
"We’ll head to the Northern Demon Realm to find a way to eradicate the ghouls. Mo Zhu and the rest of you must hold the line here, buying us time. I’ll return within three days at most."
Zhongli Yang asked gravely, "Do you remember where the Land of Eternal Night is?"
Yu Zhiling opened her mouth to answer—
"Little Fish."
A voice, light and indistinct, echoed in her ears. It rippled through her mind like a drop of water disturbing a still lake, impossible to place as male or female. Yu Zhiling blinked in confusion as Zhongli Yang’s face blurred before her.
The world around her dissolved into nothingness.
In the endless void, the voice lingered.
"Little Fish, this way."
Only one person in the world had ever called her that.
She had thought she would never see Gui again—that two worlds separated them, making reunion impossible.
"Little Fish, southeast. Cross the river and keep going until the end."
Yu Zhiling’s breath hitched. This felt like a dream.
"Gui...?"
"Master."
A pair of hands gripped her arms. The crisp voice of a youth snapped her back to reality. Yu Zhiling looked up dazedly to see Mo Zhu standing before her. Around them, disciples fought calmly, while she and Mo Zhu stood at the center.
Sui Ji had descended as well. Though the Slaughter Stele’s barrier was active, he was neither demon nor yaoguai—not even a malevolent spirit. A weapon’s spirit without a heartbeat would never be barred by such formations.
Mo Zhu’s expression was calm, but his jaw was tight, his gaze restrained. Yu Zhiling recognized his turmoil in an instant.
It was because she had said Gui’s name.
He didn’t want to hear it.
"Little Five, what happened just now?" Yan Shanqing, busy directing the disciples, hurried over in concern.
Yu Zhiling grasped Mo Zhu’s wrist. "I know where the Land of Eternal Night is. I have to go."
She turned to leave, but a hand seized her wrist, yanking her back.
Mo Zhu’s voice was icy. "Did Gui tell you?"
Yu Zhiling parted her lips. "Mo Zhu, listen—"
She thought he was jealous, that he was angry and trying to stop her. But before she could explain, he released her.
He took a step back. "Then go."
Mo Zhu looked down at her. "Gui would never harm you. Go. We’ll hold off the pursuers."
He was jealous—aching with it—but he knew what mattered now.
Survival.
Yu Zhiling met his gaze, her eyes conveying everything words couldn’t.
She loved him. Not as a master, but as a woman.
That was enough. If her heart had room for only one person, that was enough.
Mo Zhu turned and vanished into the horde of ghouls.
Their mission this time was twofold: first, to slay You Zhou, and second, to eradicate the horde of demonic fiends entirely, lest they continue ramming against the Four Slaughter Stele within the demonic abyss. If they ever broke free, the common folk of Zhongzhou would suffer catastrophic losses.
This was Zhongzhou’s counterattack.
Yu Zhiling and Sui Ji’s task was to uncover a method to completely annihilate You Zhou—or better yet, a way to exterminate every last one of those demonic fiends, leaving none alive.
You Zhou would not let them find the Land of Eternal Night without a fight. He would throw every obstacle in their path. The cultivators of Zhongzhou had to hold off the bulk of his forces, ensuring Yu Zhiling and Sui Ji could reach their destination safely.
Yu Zhiling and Sui Ji sprinted through the forest, teleporting in bursts. Many of the demonic fiends chasing them were intercepted, leaving only a handful in pursuit. But Yu Zhiling was too fast—Sui Ji barely managed to catch up.
"Why this direction?" he asked. "And who is this 'Gui' you mentioned earlier?"
Yu Zhiling didn’t turn back. "You already figured out my soul was forced into this body. But have you ever wondered where I was before that?"
If it wasn’t possession, and Zhuo Yu had died in the demonic abyss, why had her soul wandered outside her body for a time before returning?
The snake bracelet on her wrist emitted a faint glow, unnoticed by her as she accelerated through the dense woods, Zhu Qing slashing down the fiends that dared chase her. She had to reach the Land of Eternal Night as quickly as possible.
That place was where You Zhou had been born. The demonic energy there was the source of the fiends he had bred. It was also where she had once been buried.
Sui Ji fell silent, matching her pace without another word.
Meanwhile, whispers echoed ceaselessly in Yu Zhiling’s mind.
"Little Fish, turn left."
"Cross the river. Watch your left—there’s an ambush."
"Keep going. Run."
Sui Ji watched as she navigated every fork in the path with uncanny precision, evading every trap You Zhou had laid in advance. It was almost as if...
Someone was guiding her.
His gaze lingered on her back. The pearls on her person shone brightly, piercing through the darkness.
She had many secrets—Sui Ji had known that from the start. Her memories were sealed, and after he had helped her undo some of those seals, what had she said?
Yu Zhiling had sat before him, head bowed, and murmured, "I need to enter the demonic abyss."
She had remembered something about it.
"Little Fish."
"Little Fish, forward."
Forward, forward, ever forward.
In a daze, she felt as though she had returned to that tiny apartment, curled up on the couch, typing on her phone.
[Gui, the doctor says I’m doing well. Can I visit you for New Year’s?]
They had agreed to meet on New Year’s Eve. She should have seen Gui long ago.
Yu Zhiling ran faster, her ears ringing, drowning out everything but Gui’s voice—a voice that echoed indistinctly, neither clearly male nor female. She didn’t notice Sui Ji falling behind, nor the demonic fiends vanishing around her. She didn’t even register Zhu Qing’s distant hum.
She ran faster. She needed answers.
She crossed rivers, cut through forests, never looking back, her hair ribbon fluttering behind her.
"Little Fish, jump."
Yu Zhiling stood at the edge of a sheer cliff, the roaring waters of a lake churning far below.
Without hesitation, she leaped.
Water rushed in from all sides, enveloping her. Yet as she sank, no suffocation came—the river was an illusion.
She reached the bottom of the magically conjured riverbed, closed her eyes, and passed through the false barrier. Then she was falling, her descent cushioned by spiritual energy before she landed unharmed.
No pain. No cold.
And it wasn’t dark here. A hazy glow emanated from somewhere ahead, unrelated to the twin pearls at her waist.
Yu Zhiling pushed herself up and looked.
A colossal lotus rose before her, its stem as thick as an ancient tree centuries old. The bud glowed pure white, petals unfurling like butterfly wings, fluttering in an eerie wind—ethereal, dreamlike.
Yu Zhiling stood, murmuring in disbelief, "A Heavenly Lotus?"
The one in Jinghong Village paled in comparison. This Heavenly Lotus towered, majestic, as if magnified tenfold. Its petals fluttered, radiating both sanctity and gentleness.
In this lightless place, a Heavenly Lotus had bloomed.
She turned. No one was behind her—no Sui Ji, no demonic fiends, not even Zhu Qing.
She had come here alone. It wasn’t that Sui Ji had lost her; she had shaken everyone off, arriving where no one else could follow.
A glint of green caught her eye. Yu Zhiling glanced down, pushing back her sleeve to reveal the source of the light.
The Huiqing snake bracelet had never left her wrist since she arrived in this world. A treasure of the Tengshe clan, one of the artifacts that had led to their massacre—mysterious, powerful, yet to her, it had always been just an ordinary accessory.
It had never glowed before.
But now, the dark jade serpent shimmered with emerald light, swirling inside the bracelet like fish in water, circling endlessly.
"Little Fish, come here."
Gui guided her forward, step by step, toward the Heavenly Lotus.
"Go inside," Gui said. "This is the place that gave you a second life."
Yu Zhiling raised her hand without hesitation, pressing her palm against the lotus. It yielded like cotton, offering no resistance.
This Heavenly Lotus, like the river, was an illusion woven from spiritual energy.
A force seized her wrist, coiling around it before yanking her inside with violent urgency.
Yu Zhiling found herself within the lotus. White light hovered around her. The demonic abyss had no light, yet here, it was everywhere.
"Little Fish, before you go out to fight, I’ll return your memories to you."
"Whether or not to use that final Frostwind Slash... the choice is yours."
The Huiqing bracelet erupted with a piercing emerald radiance.
Sui Ji stopped.
The darkness around him was absolute. Yu Zhiling had vanished without warning. Zhu Qing spun in agitation, its blade humming as stray fiends or demons lunged from the shadows. Sui Ji dispatched them with a flick of his hand.
Even without Yu Zhiling, a Great Ascension cultivator had no trouble handling such nuisances.
He cut down the last fiend and lifted his gaze. Deep in the forest, a figure stood motionless—cloaked in black, hair like ink, eyes cold as ice, lips curled in a smile. A wolf eyeing its prey.
Sui Ji sheathed his sword, expression frigid. "You Zhou."
You Zhou stepped forward, each footfall crushing the corpses of fiends beneath his boots. The squelch of flesh, the crunch of bone—a grotesque symphony in the dark.
Sui Ji didn’t flinch. But Zhu Qing trembled, its blade resonating with fury. The sentient sword had recognized its enemy.
A sword reflects its master. Yu Zhiling’s hatred for You Zhou ran deep—and Zhu Qing’s killing intent burned just as fiercely.
It flew without a master, slicing through the air with a sharp blade light like a broken arrow tearing through the void, howling forward, its cold gleam aimed directly at You Zhou’s face—just half an inch away from splitting his head in two.
The demonic energy around You Zhou wove into a net, gathering before him to block Zhu Qing’s sword light.
Zhu Qing’s blade trembled with fury—a sword that somehow radiated palpable hatred.
You Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at Zhu Qing, frozen mid-air as it struggled against his demonic restraints, desperate to break free and strike him down.
"As expected of Yu Zhiling’s sword—just as stubborn as its master," You Zhou said with a laugh.
As his voice faded, the demonic energy around him surged violently, erupting into rolling waves that roared forward, swallowing Zhu Qing whole, intent on melting the sharp blade with the corrosive power of heavenly demonic energy.
Sui Ji frowned and stepped forward to rescue Zhu Qing, only to see a flash of cyan light tear through You Zhou’s demonic bindings, unleashing a resonant sword aura.
You Zhou’s pupils flickered, and he teleported a hundred zhang away.
Zhu Qing buzzed with fury, ready to pursue, but Sui Ji, reacting swiftly, grabbed and restrained it. As the foremost of the three divine artifacts, Sui Ji could communicate with Zhu Qing’s sword spirit.
"Stop! You’ve bonded with a master. Yu Zhiling isn’t here—without her command, you can’t unleash many of your killing techniques! Your souls are tied—if your blade breaks, she’ll suffer the backlash!"
Zhu Qing immediately calmed down. Sui Ji quickly grasped its hilt.
The sword offered no resistance. Standing in the darkness, Sui Ji asked coldly, "Where is Yu Zhiling?"
You Zhou was briefly stunned—just for an instant—before slipping back into his usual deceptive smile. "Who knows? Maybe she’s dead. Weren’t you prepared to die when you dared enter the Demon Abyss?"
This time, it was Sui Ji’s turn to laugh.
"Ah, so even you don’t know where Yu Zhiling went. That makes sense—you were probably too busy trying to ambush us here while she vanished unexpectedly."
"If you’re here, it means we’re on the right path. The Land of Eternal Night must be nearby."
You Zhou’s smile faded slightly, his fingers curling behind his back.
Sui Ji tightened his grip on Zhu Qing’s hilt, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
"You Zhou, you dare stand before me because you know that even if I shatter your soul, you still won’t die. Isn’t that right?"
You Zhou regarded him coldly.
Sui Ji took slow, deliberate steps forward, each one heavy with purpose.
"You’re trying to stop us from reaching the Land of Eternal Night because there’s a way to kill you there. And these demonic puppets you’ve bred—does their existence also tie back to that place?"
You Zhou’s eyes curved into a smile. "Want to know?"
His gaze dropped to Sui Ji’s waist, where a Qiankun pouch hung—containing his own true form.
The Six-Time Seal.
"If you survive, you’ll find out."
He lunged forward, fingers curled like claws as he struck at Sui Ji.
"Mo Zhu!"
A hand clamped onto Mo Zhu’s shoulder. He turned, his gaze icy as frost, his face streaked with blood. Drenched in gore, he looked like a god of slaughter.
Mei Qiongge froze for a second, startled.
Mo Zhu shook off her grip and wordlessly charged back into the swarm of demonic puppets—their mission was to annihilate the fiends within the Demon Abyss.
Yu Zhiling and Sui Ji had gone to hunt You Zhou. He, too, would do his part for her.
Mei Qiongge cursed under her breath—this brat was too reckless—but she still rushed forward and seized Mo Zhu’s wrist.
"We can’t keep fighting! There are far more puppets than we estimated—over a million! Xiao Wu said before she left that if the numbers were overwhelming, we should switch tactics—from offense to defense. We hold out until she returns from the Land of Eternal Night!"
Mo Zhu’s voice was cold. "If we retreat now, these puppets will chase after Shizun. She’ll be in danger."
"Xiao Wu also said to trust her!" Mei Qiongge snapped, yanking him back. "We agreed before coming—if we can’t hold them off long enough for her to return, our priority is protecting the disciples. She entrusted you with their safety!"
"Then who protects her?"
"You trust her!" Mei Qiongge’s phoenix eyes reddened as she raised her voice. "We wouldn’t have come if we weren’t prepared. You promised before we descended!"
This was the Central Plains’ counterattack—venturing into the Demon Abyss to find a way to kill You Zhou and uncover the secret behind the demonic puppets’ creation, then eradicate them all.
Before setting out, the clan leaders and elders had strategized.
First, Yu Zhiling and Sui Ji would break through to the Land of Eternal Night—You Zhou’s birthplace—while the cultivators held off the pursuing demons, killing as many as possible.
Second, if the demonic forces outnumbered them, they would switch to defense, preserving their strength until Yu Zhiling returned.
Yu Zhiling and Sui Ji had claimed the Land of Eternal Night held the key to ending You Zhou. They said there was a way to kill him there. That was why the Central Plains had trusted them enough to descend into the abyss together.
Mei Qiongge dragged Mo Zhu toward their retreat, cutting down puppets as she spoke. "We’ve fought for a full day—slaughtered nearly a million puppets already. Even if the rest chase after Xiao Wu, you have to believe she can handle it. This was her plan. Her orders."
"She left you here to protect the disciples. We’ll regroup and wait for her—three days at most. These disciples aren’t high-level cultivators like us. They need rest."
Mo Zhu’s voice was low. "And if she doesn’t return in three days?"
Mei Qiongge met his gaze, enunciating every word. "Then we march into the Land of Eternal Night. You Zhou will be there. Weren’t we prepared for a third outcome?"
Mutual destruction.
She smirked. "Ten thousand cultivators detonating their golden cores would be enough to flatten the demon realm. The Central Plains would know peace for eternity."
The cost would be devastating—the Central Plains’ strength crippled—but the threat would be gone forever.
Mo Zhu nodded. "Mn."
He fought his way out of the puppet swarm, rejoining the Central Plains’ forces. Exchanging glances with Wu Zhaoyan, Yan Shanqing, and the others, the clan leaders swiftly dispersed, positioning themselves at the outermost edges of the disciple formation.
Yan Shanqing’s voice boomed. "Formation—Nine Palaces, Eight Trigrams!"
A defensive array requiring nine cultivators at the Nascent Soul peak or higher, standing at key nodes. Its protection was second only to the supreme barrier—the Boundless Realm.
Nascent Soul peak cultivators were among the most powerful—clan leaders and sect masters.
Yan Shanqing, Wu Zhaoyan, Yi Xunzhou, Jiang Kuangqiu, and the others took their positions instantly, teleporting into place. They summoned back disciples still fighting in the swarm, dragging them to safety.
The horde of demonic fiends seemed to respond to a summon, splitting into two—half charging toward the direction Yu Zhiling had fled, while the other half lunged at the cultivators of Zhongzhou.
The clan leaders and grandmasters moved with practiced precision, forming protective arrays around their disciples. A massive spell circle materialized beneath their feet, its intricate patterns glowing as a barrier swiftly rose around them.
Mo Zhu stood tall and poised, his height allowing him to gaze over the swarming sea of demons toward the distance.
Perched on an ancient tree, a figure reclined against the trunk, crimson lips curving into a bewitching smile.
Mo Zhu’s fists clenched at his sides, his heart seething with murderous intent—as though trapped in a nightmare he couldn’t wake from. The past ten years flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern, igniting an eruption of hatred.
The woman in the distance parted her lips slightly, uttering a few words with a laugh.
"Ah Zhu..."
Mo Zhu unsheathed Wu Hui and dashed out of the formation just before the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array could fully solidify. He plunged into the demonic horde, his sword carving a relentless path through the chaos.
Yan Shanqing froze for a split second before recognizing who had broken ranks. Panic tore through the group as voices shouted after him.
"Mo Zhu, come back!"
