Upon learning that Di Qi had absorbed Di Xiuyuan's cultivation, Wen Shuangbai dared not let her guard down, growing increasingly cautious with each move.
Earlier, during their initial exchange, she had struck with lethal intent, willing to harm herself if it meant killing him.
But now... doubts crept into Wen Shuangbai's mind.
Something wasn’t right.
As the male lead of this story, did Di Qi rely solely on Di Xiuyuan’s cultivation?
He appeared here so brazenly, in no hurry to uproot the sacred banner or destroy the tower. Indeed, he seemed utterly confident—too confident.
He looked as though he was... enjoying himself.
Enjoying the thrill of facing the three great sects alone.
Something was very wrong.
Wen Shuangbai lowered her gaze, evading Di Qi’s incoming strike. As she leaned back, her eyes darted toward the sacred banner’s location.
The terrifying surge of spiritual energy in the hall made the banner flutter violently, yet its seemingly delicate but unyielding pole remained firmly embedded in the formation base below—impossible to dislodge unless a cultivator pulled it out by hand.
She realized where the problem lay.
While Wen Shuangbai observed the banner, Xie Ziyin, drained of spiritual energy from the Star Domain, was also recovering and watching it.
The two stood at opposite ends of the sacred hall, their gazes meeting across the fluttering banner.
A subtle nod passed between them.
Then, Wen Shuangbai swiftly turned, bending her right knee as her palm pressed against the icy crystal floor. Sliding forward, she lashed her whip around Di Qi’s legs while a barrage of leaf-shaped blades shot toward his lower body.
Di Qi had already formed the Phantom Dragon Art, originally intended for the reckless Li Zhuohua. Seeing Wen Shuangbai’s underhanded tactics, he redirected the attack toward her, his lips curling in disdain. "For a woman, such methods are rather despicable."
The oppressive aura of the Saint Realm surged forth, its mere approach sending sharp pain through Wen Shuangbai’s meridians, the metallic tang of blood rising in her throat.
"Shimei!" Li Zhuohua cried out, rushing to her aid with sword in hand.
But a streak of Star Essence—swifter than her blade—intercepted the Phantom Dragon Art, dissolving it completely.
Star Essence, the bane of demonic arts.
Di Qi’s gaze snapped toward Xie Ziyin in the distant corner. In a flash, he moved to strike him down.
The others were inconsequential, but this man—he had to die.
Li Zhuohua blocked his path, her sword slashing relentlessly, refusing to let him advance.
Having inherited the Saint’s legacy, she and Wen Shuangbai could still hold their own against Di Qi for a few exchanges.
But the Jade Rhinoceros Valley’s young demons and their team’s defenseless healer stood no chance.
Wen Shuangbai’s right hand pressed hard against the floor, leaving a bloody imprint.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, her focus never leaving Di Qi and Li Zhuohua. She circled him, striking at his lower body whenever an opening appeared.
Her palm never left the crystal floor of the sacred hall.
This crystal, known as Glazed Moonstone, was the perfect medium for formations—its transparent surface and intricate interior ideal for containing arrays.
As if sensing Wen Shuangbai’s plan, Li Zhuohua and Xie Ziyin worked in tandem, their attacks—imbued with the Sword Saint’s will and Star Essence—subtly herding Di Qi into a confined area, preventing his escape.
Di Qi smirked. "Fine. Let me test the hardness of the Li family’s sword bones."
With that, his hands morphed into phantom dragon claws, snapping toward Li Zhuohua’s limbs.
Crack.
The sickening sound of breaking bones echoed through the silent hall. Li Zhuohua’s sword bones shattered in multiple places—her right leg now visibly shorter than the left, her left arm twisted like a wrung rag.
Yet it seemed to affect her not at all. Her right hand still gripped her sword, her stance unyielding, her fighting spirit undimmed. She spat, "Still harder than you, you unfilial wretch!"
Di Qi’s smile remained, but his eyes turned icy.
He glanced at the bleeding sword wounds on his body.
It hurt—a searing, fiery pain.
He had actually been wounded by Li Zhuohua.
At that moment, a terrifying surge of spiritual energy erupted like a storm. The roar of a dragon shook the heavens as a massive black dragon’s phantom rose behind Di Qi.
Simultaneously, the air grew thick with the salty tang of the sea, the distant rumble of tidal waves faintly audible.
Wen Shuangbai, riding atop a man-eating flower, dashed forward. Her fire-feather whip coiled around Li Zhuohua, who was eager to face the dragon, and yanked her out of the Mirror Sea’s domain just in time.
A soft click—like a door closing—and Di Qi was sealed within the Mirror Sea, vanishing from the sacred hall.
The Jade Rhinoceros Valley’s young demons gaped in disbelief. "Huh? Is... is it over just like that?"
Yu Xiaoli’s eyes sparkled. "Sister Wen and Sister Li are amazing!"
Perched on the man-eating flower, Li Zhuohua straightened proudly at the praise, then proceeded to yank her right leg back into place, restoring its length. She nudged Wen Shuangbai with her elbow. "Shimei, that formation’s impressive. Never seen you use it before."
Wen Shuangbai winced at the grating sound of bones being reset. "I learned it from Senior Ye Qingrong’s Mirror Sea. This was my first time using it. I don’t know how long it’ll hold Di Qi. We need to hurry and—"
Before she could finish—
Xie Ziyin, pale and weak, suddenly sprang up. "Shuangbai, watch out!"
But he was too far.
Too late.
With a roar like crashing waves, Di Qi tore through the Mirror Sea and stepped out. His hands, now dragon claws, struck toward Wen Shuangbai and Li Zhuohua’s backs.
Dragon’s Wrath.
A killing blow tailored for these two women.
Those struck would appear unharmed, but their spiritual veins and bones would shatter into dust—an excruciating process.
Just as these women, fair on the outside, were rotten within.
He knew how they had ostracized Xiaoxiao on Qingling Mountain, all they had done to her.
"My heavens..." Before the Profound Heaven Mirror, countless cultivators covered their eyes, unable to bear the sight.
Yet some peeked through their fingers—only to see a blinding silver light erupt.
This sword radiance, rising from the hall’s steps, poured into the sacred hall like moonlight.
Though sharp as the finest blade, it carried an ancient, meditative aura, as timeless as the ages.
In that instant—
Xie Ziyin’s tear-filled eyes froze mid-glance.
Wen Shuangbai’s hair hung suspended mid-swing.
Li Zhuohua’s red robes halted mid-flutter.
The banner’s motion stilled.
Where the sword light passed, all fell into tranquility.
Everything slowed.
Let all things slow.
Like Yin Xuan, it took him over a decade to uncover his true origins and learn of the massacre that claimed his family.
But he hoped it wasn’t too late.
What if it was slow?
Slowness, too, was a kind of power—one that, with enlightenment, could even shatter the constraints of time.
His disheveled silver hair brushed past the glimmering moonstone as Yin Xuan moved with deceptive slowness, appearing before Di Qi in the blink of an eye. He raised an unremarkable silver sword and drove it through Di Qi’s chest, piercing his spirit bone before shattering it—just as Di Qi had intended to do to Wen Shuangbai and Li Zhuohua moments ago.
He could no longer allow the Di family to harm the two he regarded as his own younger sisters.
……
With a dull thud, Di Qi collapsed to the ground, snapping everyone out of their daze.
Wen Shuangbai, who had just been on the brink of death, glanced at Di Qi’s fallen form before turning to Yin Xuan with joy. "Eldest Senior Brother, you’re here!"
Li Zhuohua, still stunned by Yin Xuan’s earlier strike—the Sword of Time—raised a thumb in admiration. "Incredible!"
Yin Xuan’s gaze lingered on his junior sisters’ injuries, guilt weighing heavily on him as he bowed his head. "I’m sorry. I arrived too late."
"No, you came just in time," Wen Shuangbai reassured him. Given her eldest senior brother’s usual luck, she had assumed he, like Shen Hefeng, wouldn’t make it to the Sacred Hall. She hadn’t dared to hope.
Yet against all odds, Yin Xuan had gained an extraordinary opportunity. That last strike was no ordinary feat.
"Fine by me!" Li Zhuohua, however, did think he was late. "But you’ll have to spar with me later to make up for it!"
Yin Xuan: "……"
As they spoke, Xie Ziyin and the disciples of Yu Xiaoli’s valley hurried over.
The Yu Xiaoli disciples swarmed around the three senior siblings with cheers, while Xie Ziyin, after confirming Wen Shuangbai was unharmed, immediately crouched beside Di Qi’s body to examine it.
Noticing this, Wen Shuangbai nudged the little spirits aside and knelt beside him. "Well?"
Xie Ziyin’s expression darkened as he met her gaze and shook his head slightly. "He’s not dead. There’s still a trace of life in him."
The others turned at their exchange, and upon hearing Xie Ziyin’s words, Yin Xuan scratched his messy nest of hair. "Huh? Not dead? But I crushed his spirit bone..."
Xie Ziyin said nothing, pulling out a vial of pitch-black liquid and pouring it over Di Qi’s body.
Yet the corrosive potion, capable of dissolving anything, had no effect.
Wen Shuangbai channeled the Radiant Heart Technique, attempting to incinerate Di Qi’s body with sacred flames—but to no avail. She could sense a holy force within him, resisting her power, shielding Di Qi from all harm and aiding his recovery.
"The Profound Heaven Decree," Wen Shuangbai spat, slamming her fist into Di Qi’s face in frustration. "I knew it—he has the Profound Heaven Decree inside him!"
She had suspected as much.
With Di Xiuyuan dead, the position of the Purple Flame Sect’s leader had likely fallen to Di Qi.
And since the Profound Heaven Competition wasn’t over yet, the Sacred Tower remained undefeated, meaning the Profound Heaven Decree still belonged to the Purple Flame Sect’s leader.
Now, it was Di Qi’s.
The Profound Heaven Decree wasn’t a physical token but a mark of the Sacred Tower.
Before the Star-Moon Divine Tree sacrificed itself, it had foretold that the true culprit remained hidden, the demonic bones unbroken, and that the tower’s destruction still loomed in the future.
To counter this prophecy, Senior Ye Qingrong had created the Profound Heaven Decree—a safeguard for the Sacred Tower’s master, ensuring its protection.
This mark drew power from the Sacred Tower itself, shielding its bearer.
And the closer the bearer was to the tower, the stronger its protection. Within the Sacred Tower, it granted near-immortality.
That was why Di Qi had acted without fear.
As long as the Sacred Banner remained unclaimed, he was the Decree’s master—indestructible within the tower.
If the banner were taken, the tower would collapse, unleashing the ghosts sealed within. And with the Di family’s thousand-year alliance with the demonic forces, they could command an army of spirits to dominate the world.
Either outcome was one Di Qi would welcome.
The little spirits of Yu Xiaoli’s valley huddled together, their heads pressed close as they looked at the trio with worry. "Then what do we do now?"
"There’s only one way," Wen Shuangbai said, her gaze fixed on the Sacred Banner as determination hardened her voice. "We restore the formation, then pull the banner to end the Profound Heaven Competition. Once the competition concludes, the Profound Heaven Decree will pass to another, and Di Qi can finally be killed."
"I’ll handle the restoration." As the inheritor of the Sacred Tower’s blueprints, Wen Shuangbai took the responsibility without hesitation. She looked at Xie Ziyin, then at her senior sister, eldest senior brother, and the little spirits, her words resolute. "I don’t know how long it’ll take, or when Di Qi will revive. From here on, I leave it to all of you to guard me!"
