Chapter 51:

Gao Qiumin felt as if struck by lightning, staring in disbelief at the mingled blood, murmuring, “Impossible… How could I have a half-demon sister? It must be the formation’s fault—it’s fake!”

Mu Xuanling released Duan Nian and stepped back beside Xuechen Xie.

“I’d rather not be related to you either,” Mu Xuanling said coolly. “Miss Gao, I came to see Suzhen Su seeking an explanation, but her ‘explanation’ seems more like a cover-up.”

Gao Qiumin staggered backward, collapsing weakly onto the ground, crawling toward Suzhen Su, trembling as she grabbed the sleeve of her robe and asked, “Master, what exactly is going on? Mother only had me as her daughter, right?”

Suzhen Su’s face shifted between pale and flushed, gritting her teeth, “It’s…”

“She must be involved! That formation must have been demonic sorcery or devilish arts—she deliberately deceived the Elder to prevent me from becoming the head of Mirror Blossom Valley!” Gao Qiumin convinced herself of this explanation and exhaled in relief. “It must be… that!”

The Elder-in-Chief naturally knew this was not the truth—the formation was correct, and Mu Xuanling and Gao Qiumin indeed shared blood ties. She had been one of those who watched Suzhen Xi and Suzhen Su grow up, witnessing Suzhen Xi marry Fengxu Gao. Suzhen Xi had been pure before marriage and died from a difficult childbirth ten months after marriage—she could not possibly have given birth a second time. Thus, Mu Xuanling and Gao Qiumin must have been twins born from the same womb.

But how could one be human and the other half-demon?

“Suzhen Su, what exactly is going on? You’d better tell the truth now!” The Elder-in-Chief’s voice suddenly turned stern. Other elders also sensed the seriousness of the situation. This was no longer just Suzhen Su’s private matter—it involved the reputation and legacy of Mirror Blossom Valley. They would not tolerate Suzhen Su obstructing the truth.

Suzhen Su found herself in a desperate situation, isolated and helpless, glaring at Mu Xuanling with hate in her eyes. But upon closer look, it wasn’t just hatred—it was a twisted mixture of greed and obsession.

“She’s not Xi’s child. She’s…”

Before Suzhen Su could finish, a sharp whistle suddenly echoed across the field, startling everyone. Three golden arrows shot through the sky from different directions, creating sonic booms with their speed. Xuechen Xie’s expression turned grave as he caught the three arrows mid-air. Each arrow bore an inscription:

—Yongxue City under demonic attack!

—Xuantiansi Temple under demonic attack!

—Bixia Palace under demonic attack!

Fulan Fu and others standing beside Xuechen Xie saw the engravings and turned pale. “All three sects are under attack!”

“What!” The Mirror Blossom Valley cultivators were equally shocked and alarmed. “Has Sangqi emerged from retreat?”

Mu Xuanling said solemnly, “Among the Five Great Sects, Xuantiansi Temple has suffered the most internal strife after losing its leader. It’s no surprise Sangqi would target them. Moreover, the Banruo Heart Sutra of Xuantiansi Temple is a bane to demons, so Sangqi sending demon forces was expected—Master Xuanxin had already received warnings and should be able to handle it. Yongxue City, however, has weakened without you and would naturally become Sangqi’s target. Fortunately, we’ve prepared defensive formations in the city. But Bixia Palace…”

She furrowed her brows slightly, puzzled. “Bixia Palace is the strongest among the Five Great Sects, with the deepest foundation and the most disciples. How could Sangqi have spare demon forces to attack Bixia Palace?”

Xuechen Xie tightened his grip on the arrows, exclaiming simultaneously with Xuyue Nan, “It’s Lingju Island.”

Fulan Fu was startled. “No attack on Lingju Island?”

Xuechen Xie said, “Lingju Island is the attack.”

Xuyue Nan lowered her gaze, saying indifferently, “The traitor within the Immortal Alliance colluding with Sangqi is Lingju Island.”

Mu Xuanling’s pupils constricted, suddenly recalling what happened on Qiongju Island. That seductive snake demon had said—the grand meeting was originally scheduled to begin in half a year, but for some unknown reason, it was held earlier. The island wasn’t fully prepared, causing some chaos…

“The Demon Clan’s Martial Arts Assembly,” Mu Xuanling’s heart sank. “If the assembly was held earlier than planned, it must mean Lingju Island colluded with the Eastern Sea Demon King, gathering demon forces to form an alliance and attack Bixia Palace.”

“Why would Lingju Island do this?” Fulan Fu couldn’t believe it. The news of Bixia Palace being attacked had shaken him. He had always been confident in Bixia Palace’s strength, believing demons wouldn’t dare challenge them directly. But if what Mu Xuanling said was true—that Lingju Island had colluded with the Eastern Sea Demon King to attack Bixia Palace—then Bixia Palace might not be able to withstand the assault. “No, I must return to Bixia Palace!”

Xuyue Nan grabbed Fulan Fu’s arm, saying solemnly, “Brother Fu, your cultivation is weak. Even if you go, it won’t help. I think Master Fu and Elder Duan wouldn’t want you to risk your life.”

Fulan Fu smiled bitterly. “Nan Xuyue, my mother said the same thing. But as a son, how can I remain indifferent when my parents are in danger? Although I’m not very capable, I’m still a person.”

Xuyue Nan was momentarily stunned and involuntarily loosened her grip.

“Let him go,” Xuechen Xie said slowly. “It’s not safe here anymore.”

Mu Xuanling held her breath, unconsciously clenching her fists, her gaze turning toward the distance.

“All other sects are under attack, yet Mirror Blossom Valley remains calm…” She looked at the sun obscured by clouds, her voice gradually lowering. “Sangqi must be coming personally.”

Their entire conversation was overheard by the Mirror Blossom Valley cultivators. The Elder-in-Chief’s expression faltered, but she quickly regained composure, shouting sternly, “Order all disciples to prepare for battle!”

At that moment, an overwhelming and majestic aura swept across the sky. A figure clad in black robes appeared mid-air, its billowing garments seeming to blot out the heavens, dimming the sun and moon, and darkening the sky and earth. The terrifying pressure unleashed a tempest, uprooting flowers and grass in the valley, sending spirit beasts into a frenzied stampede in all directions, their mournful cries echoing far and wide.

Sangqi curled his crimson lips into a smile, his silver hair flying wildly, exuding arrogance. He gazed with satisfaction at the panic he had caused in Mirror Blossom Valley. Twenty years had passed, and he had finally returned, seeking vengeance. He would leave not a blade of grass nor a chicken nor a dog alive in Mirror Blossom Valley!

No one had expected Sangqi’s aura to be so terrifying. Everyone’s faces changed, unable to muster even a shred of resistance due to the overwhelming disparity in power… Suzhen Su looked at Sangqi indifferently, having hated him for twenty years, yet her heart felt strangely calm at this moment. Perhaps it was because she had accepted the fact that she had caused Suzhen Xi’s death—or perhaps she suddenly realized that she and Sangqi were the same kind of person. They both deeply loved Suzhen Xi and wished for her to live.

“Master Xie, are you satisfied with the gift I’ve brought you?” Sangqi smiled, looking down at everyone as his figure slowly descended from the sky. His silver hair and silver eyes were strikingly handsome. If not for the sinister demonic aura surrounding him, his appearance would have resembled a descending deity.

Xuechen Xie gripped his sword, saying indifferently, “It’s been a while. You’ve indeed improved significantly.”

Today, Sangqi’s aura was more than twice as strong as when they last met. Xuechen Xie knew that today’s battle would come at a heavy cost…

“All thanks to the divine power of the Jade Gate Classic,” Sangqi smiled slightly, his silver eyes glancing at Mu Xuanling. “Ling’er, it seems the poison in your heart water has been cured.”

Mu Xuanling pressed her lips together, not avoiding Sangqi’s gaze but also not responding.

Sangqi sighed on his own. “That’s not a good thing. Now that the poison is gone, you’ll be very sad when you see Xie Xuechen die before your eyes. Ling’er, you still don’t understand my good intentions.”

“Sangqi…” Mu Xuanling said softly.

Sangqi was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter, holding his head. “This… I don’t even know whether I should be happy or angry! Ling’er, are you trying to say I’ll lose, or do you have some lingering affection for me as your master?”

Sangqi’s sleeves flared with his laughter, unintentionally unleashing a vast and mighty aura that swept across the entire battlefield like ocean waves. Lower-cultivation disciples couldn’t withstand it, their faces turning pale as they spat blood. The Elder-in-Chief shouted fiercely, “All disciples below the Nascent Soul stage, retreat!”

Battles at the Manifestation Formation level were no longer determined by numbers—Golden Core disciples were mere cannon fodder in such fights. Suzhen Su, already exhausted and lacking authority, left the Elder-in-Chief no choice but to take command of the defense. She prepared for the worst—if they couldn’t kill Sangqi, Mirror Blossom Valley might face annihilation, but she would preserve its legacy for the future.

Mu Xuanling said to Nan Xuyue and Fu Lan Sheng, “Return to the floating cloud boat. Nan Xuyue, you and Fu Lan Sheng go to Bixia Palace together.”

Nan Xuyue said, “You should leave too.”

Mu Xuanling smiled faintly. “I will stay with him.”

Their hands tightly clasped beneath wide sleeves. He knew she wouldn’t leave, so he said nothing.

Fu Lan Sheng, anxious about Bixia Palace, grabbed Nan Xuyue’s sleeve and said, “Nan Xuyue, let’s go first!”

Nan Xuyue shook off Fu Lan Sheng’s hand and said, “You go. I’ll stay.”

“You…” Fu Lan Sheng frowned deeply, but seeing Nan Xuyue’s calm and determined gaze, he knew further persuasion would be futile. With a sigh, he flew toward the floating cloud boat alone.

Sangqi didn’t care about insignificant figures like Fu Lan Sheng. Everyone he cared about was already here.

Xuechen Xie said, “I underestimated you. I didn’t expect you could turn He Xianwo.”

Xuantiansi Temple and Yongxue City were fully prepared. From Mu Xuanling, he had learned about Sangqi’s forces. Sangqi’s demon armies were limited and couldn’t possibly attack all five sects simultaneously. Therefore, he had focused on reinforcing the defenses of the two weakest sects, feeling less concerned about Xuantiansi Temple and Yongxue City. However, if Bixia Palace were indeed attacked jointly by Lingju Island and the Eastern Sea demon clans, it might not hold out for long.

“Master Xie, you’re mistaken. I didn’t turn He Xianwo,” Sangqi said seriously. “He came to me voluntarily.”

A strange glint passed through Xuechen Xie’s eyes.

Sangqi smiled. “I didn’t expect either… he’s my half-brother from the same mother.”

That woman who had abandoned him long ago hadn’t died. Instead, she had become the former leader of Lingju Island’s wife.

That day, He Xianwo appeared in the demon realm and told him that the woman had been thinking of her eldest son, abandoned beneath the Fusang tree, until her final moments. As she held his hand, she pleaded with him to find his elder brother no matter what.

“He’s just a half-demon, without parents to care for him. He must have lived a very hard life…”

“I’m sorry to him. Xian’er, you must find him and take care of him…”

He Xianwo mentioned that the woman had scoured the East Sea demon clans in search of him but never succeeded. He only knew his elder brother was a half-demon with silver hair and eyes, never imagining that this half-demon wasn’t in the East Sea, but in the Demon Realm, and even less expecting him to be Priest Sangqi.

If he had heard this twenty years ago, Sangqi might have been moved, might have even forgiven that woman who abandoned him. But now he understood many truths. Humans were all deceivers, especially human women.

But he wouldn’t refuse an alliance offered willingly.

“We can form an alliance, establishing a new order where demons and half-demons can coexist equally with humans,” He Xianwo said.

Fu Yanting was both shocked and enraged as he took in the horrific scene before him. He Xianwo led dozens of demon kings, each more powerful than ordinary Manifestation Formation masters. While demons did not possess Manifestation Formations, their physical forms grew increasingly colossal as their cultivation deepened. Now revealing their true forms, they loomed like towering mountains, radiating a terrifying aura of malevolence.

A golden python dozens of feet long coiled atop the barrier shield, spewing toxic gas that continuously eroded the barrier’s defenses. A black bear half the height of a mountain pounded its fists against the barrier, causing cracks to appear. A tiger demon with a silver-white body bared its fangs, biting into a venerable master’s Manifestation Formation. As the formation was injured, the cultivator’s physical body also suffered the same excruciating pain. He screamed in agony as his formation shattered under demonic energy.

Low-level outer disciples were utterly helpless against such power, fleeing in despair only to be trampled underfoot by monstrous beasts, reduced to meat paste.

“He Xianwo!” Fu Yanting’s eyes burned with rage as he roared furiously. “You’re human, yet you collude with demons, harming your own kind!”

“There can be no change without bloodshed. Someone must sacrifice,” He Xianwo said indifferently, watching the human tragedy unfold. “I’m merely correcting the world’s wrongs.”

As He Xianwo finished speaking, a mighty presence approached from afar. Fu Yanting was momentarily unsure whether it was friend or foe, staring blankly in that direction. When it drew closer, his face turned even paler.

“Master, the three thousand demon slaves of Bixia Palace have been rescued!” A tall man bowed his head behind He Xianwo, his voice deep and hoarse.

Most of those three thousand demon slaves were emaciated and gaunt, their shackles removed but leaving deep wounds down to the bone. Three thousand pairs of eyes stared coldly and hatefully toward Bixia Palace, making Fu Yanting shudder and feel a chill down his spine.

“He Xianwo,” Fu Yanting suppressed his trembling heart, turning to face him. “Have you ever seen the power of hatred?”

Fu Yanting’s eyes widened as the man behind He Xianwo slowly lifted his head, his gaze icy and cold.

Fu Yanting first noticed the man’s hideous scar across his face, then his cold, ruthless eyes—familiar yet so foreign. Fu Yanting’s pupils constricted as he gasped, “Cang Li!”

The man spoke coldly, “You got the name wrong, Master Fu. My name is Jiang Li.”

“Where is your mother?” Fu Yanting ignored his words, urgently asking.

“She’s dead,” Jiang Li said.

“Dead?” Fu Yanting staggered, as if struck. “How could that be?”

“She was killed by Duan Xiaorong,” Jiang Li said. “In front of me.”

Duan Xiaorong’s figure appeared behind Fu Yanting. A mocking smile curled her lips as she glared at Jiang Li with hatred.

“So you’re Fu Cangli. When Lan Sheng mentioned this name earlier, it sounded vaguely familiar to me. Now it finally comes back to me. That despicable woman seemed to scream ‘Cangli’ with her dying breath, didn’t she?” Duan Xiaorong cast a contemptuous glance at Fu Yanting. “You knew exactly who Fu Cangli was back then, yet you feigned ignorance. Fu Yanting, you’ve played your role flawlessly all these years—bold enough to keep a mistress behind my back.”

Everyone knew Bixia Palace’s Palace Master loved his wife dearly, but in truth, it was merely a joke.

Duan Xiaorong had long known that Fu Yanting only sought Bixia Palace’s wealth and feared her strength, hence their cultivation partnership. She didn’t care either—what she valued was Fu Yanting’s handsomeness and talent. For Manifestation Formation cultivators with a thousand-year lifespan, loving only one person was difficult. But she was much older than Fu Yanting. As long as he behaved himself during her lifetime and didn’t disgrace her, she could tolerate his indifference.

But she underestimated Fu Yanting’s ambition. Behind her back, he secretly kept a mistress and even fathered a son around the same age as Lan Sheng. That child, Fu Cangli, surpassed even her Lan Sheng in excellence. This filled her with dread—Fu Yanting intended to pass Bixia Palace to the son of that wretched woman!

Duan Xiaorong showed no mercy. That woman died quickly, but with her dying breath, she activated a teleportation formation, sending Fu Cangli away. Her spiritual energy only had time to leave a deep scar across his handsome face.

“So it was you who killed Lan Chi…” Fu Yanting clenched his fists, half-laughing, half-crying. “I should have guessed…”

“What if I did? What can you do about it?” Duan Xiaorong sneered. “I didn’t expose it just to save your face. You pursued wealth and power by marrying me, so now pretending to be devoted—what are you trying to do? Do you want to confront me over that woman? With a major enemy at the gates, as Bixia Palace’s Palace Master, can you distinguish priorities?”

Fu Yanting suppressed his grief, his hands trembling beneath his sleeves.

“Cangli, don’t go down the wrong path, consorting with demons!” Fu Yanting pleaded gently. “It’s not too late to abandon darkness and return to the light.”

Jiang Li coldly stared at this hypocritical couple. “Fu Yanting, you make me sick. Do you think my mother stayed with you all these years because she loved you? She already knew—you killed the man she loved. You murdered your sworn brother and took his wife. You’re even more despicable and hateful than Duan Xiaorong. My mother endured humiliation only to protect me. I’m Jiang Li, not Fu!”

All these years, he and his mother lived in Lanchi Villa, waiting for Fu Yanting’s occasional visits. His mother only smiled when Fu Yanting came; otherwise, she would just sit there blankly, watching the flowers bloom and wither in the courtyard, silently shedding tears. He thought she smiled solely because she missed Fu Yanting, so he worked diligently to improve himself, striving to become more outstanding so that Fu Yanting would love him more. It wasn’t until after his mother’s death that he uncovered the truth from her belongings. Every smile she had shown Fu Yanting was nothing but forced flattery—she had never been happy, for the one she truly loved had already met a tragic end. She had submitted to his murderer only to protect that man’s sole surviving bloodline.

—A Li, if you’re reading this, I must already be gone. These years I’ve often wanted to tell you the truth, but I feared you’d give in to hatred and expose yourself. Yet I also didn’t want you to keep calling that murderer ‘father,’ living your life deceived. When I’m gone, leave this place far behind. Don’t seek revenge, don’t throw away your life. Remember your father is Jiang Shaoling, your name is Jiang Li. As long as you live well, all my years of endurance won’t have been in vain…

There were dried tear stains on the paper. How he had longed to see his mother smile—now he realized how piercingly cruel those smiles were. How could he not hate? How could he not seek revenge!

Jiang Li’s words drained all color from Fu Yanting’s face. His eyes widened, lips trembling, unable to speak. His usually handsome, refined face now looked dazed and terrified.

“She… knew…”

Suddenly, Duan Xiaorong burst into wild laughter, filled with mockery and delight. “So this is it, Fu Yanting. You’re truly a despicable man—killing your sworn brother, taking his wife… You’re even more ruthless and foolish than I am. You thought you deceived everyone, but in reality, everyone kept you in the dark.”

He Xianwo silently watched this farce, smiling faintly. “See? This is the nature of the Five Immortal Alliance Sects. What makes humans more noble than demons? The splendor of Bixia Palace flows entirely with blood and filth.”

As He Xianwo finished speaking, the protective barrier shattered with a loud bang. Countless demons roared and surged into Bixia Palace, beginning a brutal massacre.