Su Ningzhen’s expression was half-mad, half-sane, her laughter and tears entwined, as she dug out the festering wounds buried in her heart for twenty years, tearing apart the false illusion of Mirror Blossom Valley’s serene facade. Her heart ached and burned with hatred. Yet, seeing the dark and pained expressions on the elders’ faces, she felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
“Hahahahaha…” Su Ningzhen let out a hoarse laugh, her eyes filled with scorn and hatred. “So they never saw us as real people… My sister was merely a vessel to nurture their precious pearl!”
Sang Qi clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, blood seeping from between his fingers. His chest felt as though a barbed weapon had been thrust inside, tearing and pulling, spilling blood and flesh, causing him unbearable pain. His silver pupils flickered with blood-red killing intent, but his eyelashes fluttered shut as he closed his eyes. The ultimate hatred was also the ultimate pain, and two streams of bloody tears flowed from his eyes.
He had never known… He had never known what she had endured. He had failed to protect her, had even been deceived into hating her all these years. She had died for him, yet even in death, she could not rest in peace!
He had never regretted annihilating the Moonlight Villa, but now, he regretted letting Gao Fengxu die too easily that day!
“Ningzhen, enough! Stop talking…” Elder Master sighed in despair and closed his eyes, unable to bear listening any longer.
He had watched both Su Ningxi and Su Ningzhen grow up. No one in Mirror Blossom Valley disliked Ningxi. She was gentle, intelligent, considerate, and had a charming, mischievous wit. She cared for everyone around her with meticulous attention, like a warm spring breeze in March or April, capable of melting even the coldest hearts. Back then, Miao Hua Zunzhe had secretly made a deal with Gao Fengxu. They had only known that Ningxi had found a good match. Later, when they heard she had died in childbirth, they simply thought it was her fate. None had imagined such filth and treachery lay beneath the surface.
But regardless, they still had to preserve Mirror Blossom Valley’s reputation, unwilling to let Su Ningzhen expose everything further.
But Su Ningzhen had already decided to speak without restraint. She sneered coldly at the Elder Master and said, “Are you afraid to listen now? I saw it all with my own eyes… She was my own sister, already dead, and I had to watch them cut her open!”
Her gaze shifted to Gao Qiumin. Gao Qiumin had been so stunned that she stood frozen. When her eyes met Su Ningzhen’s, she shuddered violently and instinctively tried to retreat. But Su Ningzhen continued, almost muttering to herself, “Later, her belly swelled day by day. Ten months later, Master cut open her abdomen. At that moment, brilliant light filled the room, so dazzling that we couldn’t open our eyes. Moments later, the light faded, and Master took you from her womb, while the Chaos Pearl vanished without a trace. Gao Fengxu tested your bloodline and confirmed it matched his. Overjoyed, he believed you were formed when his life essence fused with the Chaos Pearl. He placed great hopes on you, yet your talent turned out to be so ordinary…”
Su Ningzhen’s breathing grew heavier. She slowly scanned the crowd, searching for Mu Xuanling, and saw she had escaped Sang Qi’s control and returned to Xie Xuechen’s side.
“I only realized yesterday that all these years, we had been deceived… The Chaos Pearl never fused with Gao Fengxu’s essence. It didn’t disappear either—it fled. That blinding light wasn’t an omen of Qiumin’s birth—it was the Chaos Pearl’s descent into the world! It escaped using that light, and all of us mistakenly believed it was hidden inside Qiumin…” Su Ningzhen laughed hoarsely, staring intently at Mu Xuanling. All eyes followed her gaze as Su Ningzhen spoke in a hoarse, deliberate voice: “Mu Xuanling is the true Chaos Pearl!”
Her words struck like thunder, freezing everyone in place, their faces filled with shock and disbelief. Eyes wide with horror, they stared at Mu Xuanling, some with suspicion, others with greed, desperately searching for any sign of the Chaos Pearl on her.
Mu Xuanling gazed blankly at Su Ningzhen. Her words were like a sudden hurricane, tearing away all the veils of confusion. Fragmented, broken images flickered in her mind. She seemed to recall a distant time from her childhood—wrapped in warm liquid, life force continuously flowing into her, making her feel safe and comforted, gradually restoring her consciousness. Dazedly, she opened her eyes and seemed to see tiny hands clinging to her, trying to wrest away her life force. Suddenly, a beam of light pierced through, and she eagerly broke free from those hands, flying toward the outside world…
Su Ningzhen continued, “Qiumin once said that when Mu Xuanling was a child, she had demon markings on her face. Those markings were exactly the same as the runes on the Chaos Pearl!”
Mu Xuanling raised her hand to touch her smooth, unblemished left cheek—so it wasn’t a demon marking after all?
Her true form… was the Chaos Pearl…
A warm, strong hand grasped her cold one. Startled, Mu Xuanling looked up and saw Xie Xuechen’s determined, sharp phoenix eyes. He looked down at her and softly called her name, “Linger.”
He wrapped his arms around her thin shoulders from behind, sheltering her in his embrace. His warmth brought her a sense of calm, yet she still felt lost and confused: “So I’m not even human… nor half-demon…”
That was why she had no divine aperture, no demon core. The so-called demon markings were actually imprints from the Chaos Pearl. The demonic aura was merely the pearl’s energy. Yet no one in this world truly understood the Chaos Pearl’s nature. They had let their narrow preconceptions blind them, mistaking the world’s most supreme treasure for a mere fish eye, discarding it like trash.
His chest pressed against her trembling back, his steady, strong heartbeat slowly soothing her unease.
“Linger, you are the one and only treasure in this world.”
Su Ningzhen stared at Mu Xuanling with greedy, frenzied eyes: “Yes… she is the ultimate treasure. She is the Chaos Pearl, and she has absorbed Ningxi’s life force. If we capture her, we can bring Ningxi back to life!”
Sang Qi’s dazed mind was suddenly jolted by the last four words.
“Bring Ningxi back to life…” A spark of light flickered in Sang Qi’s eyes, like embers stirred by wind from a pile of ash.
“Sang Qi, I know you also want Ningxi to live. Capture Mu Xuanling—this is our only hope!” Su Ningzhen trembled as she rose from the ground. But she had already used all her strength in her earlier strike, leaving her too weak to fight again. She could only try to ally with Sang Qi.
Sang Qi asked hoarsely, “Where is Ningxi’s body?”
Su Ningzhen replied, “In the Sunken Star Valley… buried beneath that thousand-year-old tree.”
Sang Qi clenched his fists and slowly stood, his silver pupils reflecting Mu Xuanling’s pale face.
“Linger, the reason I noticed you seven years ago was because you faintly carried Ningxi’s aura…” Sang Qi took a step toward her.
Mu Xuanling instinctively shrank back a step. Sang Qi had implanted a soul suppression in her consciousness—she could not bring herself to resist or kill him. Xie Xuechen gripped her arm, his phoenix eyes sharp as he glared at Sang Qi.
Sang Qi coughed, a thin trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He weakly tugged at his lips, forming a bitter smile.
“But you’re not like her… In you, I see myself. I even imagined—if Ningxi and I had a child, would they be like you too? So even though I knew you harbored resentment toward me, I never truly wanted to kill you…”
Linger and he were alike—both half-demons, both lonely, both carrying someone deep in their hearts, someone they could never reach. Like moths flying into a flame, they rushed forward regardless. In Linger, he saw himself, and that was why, despite her hatred, he couldn’t help but feel a little tenderness and forgiveness. He had been alone in this world for too long, and he cherished every bit of warmth and companionship that came his way.
Mu Xuanling’s eyes widened in surprise, her clear gaze misting over as she stared at Sang Qi’s pale, weary face.
—Sang Qi, if I saw you die, I would feel sorrow too…
He wasn’t untouched by those words. They were the same—no matter how much hatred they carried, a little warmth was enough to stop them from making that final, decisive strike. Just as he had misunderstood Ningxi all these years, hating her, hating himself, yet never truly able to drink the soul-erasing potion. And Linger, believing that Xie Xuechen had died because of him, had long wanted his revenge. But after all these years together, she still called him “Master,” and in the end, she couldn’t bear to see him die.
“Sang Qi, you are not heartless or unfeeling. Otherwise, Su Ningxi would never have fallen for you,” Xie Xuechen said steadily, his voice calm. “Sacrificing Linger may not even bring Su Ningxi back. Are you really willing to do this?”
Sang Qi’s gaze shifted from Mu Xuanling to Xie Xuechen, his silver pupils filled with a strange expression—three parts mockery, seven parts realization.
“But what if she could…?” In that instant, Sang Qi suddenly understood many things. The miraculous power of the Jade Palace Sutra did not lie in Xie Xuechen himself. The power of Life itself did not come from the Jade Palace Sutra either. Seven years ago, Xie Xuechen’s divine aperture had collapsed, and he should have died. But instead, he had risen from death, shattered and reborn, becoming the greatest sword cultivator in history, even unleashing a sword strike that should have been impossible for any human.
The answer lay with Linger.
No—more accurately, with the Chaos Pearl.
Even Linger herself probably didn’t fully understand her own power, acting only on instinct.
“Linger…” Sang Qi softened his hoarse voice, calling gently, “I cannot abandon the last hope of bringing Ningxi back… Come here. I won’t take your life.”
Linger instinctively took a step toward him, but Xie Xuechen held her back, pushing her behind him.
“Sang Qi, you’ve fallen into demonic ways,” Xie Xuechen said coldly. “I won’t let you harm her, not even a single hair.”
Xie Xuechen did not believe in miracles without a price. Feng Xiang was the best example. To bring back someone who had been dead for twenty years was no small feat. To defy the heavens would invite dire consequences. He would never allow Linger to take such a risk.
Sang Qi stared at Xie Xuechen, his eyes growing colder. “No one will stop me…”
As he spoke, Sang Qi extended his left hand, condensing spiritual energy into a whip that lashed toward Linger. However, a sword blocked his attack. Xie Xuechen, gripping the mighty sword Wanren, felt his arm go numb from the impact, yet he resolutely shielded Linger behind him.
Sang Qi was momentarily shocked, thinking Xie Xuechen had regained his spiritual energy. But he quickly realized that was not the case. If Xie Xuechen had recovered, he would be wielding the Jun Tian sword, not Wanren. And the move that blocked his attack had no spiritual energy fluctuations at all…
Sang Qi immediately understood—Xie Xuechen must have temporarily restored his physical strength through some means, but had not regained his spiritual energy. He was fighting with nothing but his physical body.
“You’re fighting me with nothing but flesh and blood. You can’t beat me,” Sang Qi said hoarsely.
“Try me,” Xie Xuechen stood firm, his voice calm. In his heart, there was only one thought—to shield the person behind him from every storm in this world. He would die a thousand deaths without regret!
Sang Qi’s expression hardened, no longer daring to underestimate his opponent. With only one arm left, he had to give his all to win. His attacks came like thunder, striking at Xie Xuechen’s vital points. Xie Xuechen’s sword technique was unparalleled—his defense was like an unbreakable net, his offense like a blizzard, unrelenting and all-encompassing. The sword aura was so fierce that Sang Qi couldn’t even take a single step forward. Avoiding the sword’s edge, Sang Qi transformed his spiritual energy into arrows, launching them like lightning bolts toward Xie Xuechen. Each time Xie Xuechen blocked an arrow, his right arm trembled with pain and numbness. Yet his phoenix eyes remained sharp and unwavering, showing no sign of retreat. The arrows rained down like a storm, eventually breaking through his defense. One after another struck him, staining his pristine white robes with crimson. One arrow grazed his cheek, leaving a glaring wound on his handsome face, from which blood slowly trickled.
Mu Xuanling’s heart clenched, and she wanted to rush forward to help, but someone grabbed her wrist.
“Linger, run quickly!” Nan Xuyue’s voice was filled with urgency and concern. He tightly gripped her wrist, trying to pull her away.
Mu Xuanling fiercely pulled free and gripped Duan Nian. “I’m going to help him!”
“You’re out of spiritual energy. You can’t fight Sang Qi,” Nan Xuyue blocked her path, determined not to let her pass. “The Sect Leader is risking his life to hold Sang Qi off so you can escape. Don’t betray his sacrifice.”
“Move aside!” Mu Xuanling’s eyes flared with fury, the first time she had ever turned angry on Nan Xuyue. “Don’t force me to hurt you!”
Nan Xuyue swallowed his pain and said hoarsely, “He took the Jade Shattered Pill—he asked me to take you away.”
“What?” Mu Xuanling was stunned. “What is the Jade Shattered Pill?”
“It means ‘Better to be a shattered vessel of jade than an unbroken piece of pottery’—to shatter like jade rather than remain intact like pottery. It burns one’s lifespan to regain fighting strength, but it cannot restore sealed divine apertures,” Nan Xuyue said bitterly. “He knew he would face Sang Qi, and that he would use Life itself, so he asked me for the Jade Shattered Pill. He told me to take you and flee if things got desperate.”
Xie Xuechen had believed that Sang Qi would not kill Linger—but he had never expected Su Ningzhen to expose Linger’s identity as the Chaos Pearl. Sang Qi, realizing only now the suffering Su Ningxi had endured over twenty years of misunderstanding, was already on the verge of breaking. His heart devils had risen again. For the sake of bringing Ningxi back, he was willing to sacrifice everything.
Female Cultivator Mu Xuanling stared blankly at the two entangled in combat. That spotless white robe was stained with eye-catching crimson red, blooming like red plum blossoms in snow—desolate, yet resolute.
—”Ling’er, don’t be afraid…”
—”Ling’er, you must live well…”
Suddenly, the scene from seven years ago crashed into her mind, overlapping with the current sight.
Her frail shoulders trembled involuntarily, fear and despair spreading in her heart, suffocating her.
“Thank you, Nan Xuyue, for telling me…” Her voice was ethereal at first, yet gradually grew firm, “I know what I must do now.”
Upon hearing this, Nan Xuyue was delighted. He wanted to step forward and take her away, but Mu Xuanling struck his chest with her palm, sending his body flying backward uncontrollably, landing inside the barrier. Watching Mu Xuanling charge fearlessly toward Sang Qi, he suddenly understood her decision.
The world before his eyes seemed to freeze, everything slowing down. He clearly saw the golden core in her palm—it was the Golden Core of Master Yinan.
—She intended to detonate Master Yinan’s Golden Core to severely wound Sang Qi.
—But facing the explosion directly, she would die!
—I left her a jade pendant, though—it should withstand this attack.
Many thoughts flashed through Nan Xuyue’s mind. His heart had just risen in hope, only to fall again.
Seeing Mu Xuanling not fleeing but running toward him, Sang Qi frowned slightly in surprise, uncertain whether to feel joy or sorrow.
Mu Xuanling swung Duan Nian toward him, but Sang Qi easily caught it. “Ling’er, I told you you can’t hurt me, especially not with the weapon I gave you.”
Instantly, Duan Nian betrayed Mu Xuanling, wrenching itself from her hand and coiling around her waist, dragging her toward Sang Qi. She didn’t struggle. When Sang Qi gripped her arm, she grabbed his robe in return.
Xie Xuechen’s breath caught in his throat as he shouted fiercely, “Ling’er!”
He saw her exquisite face curve into a faint, affectionate smile. Her lips parted slightly, whispering something he couldn’t hear. Then came a deafening explosion, shaking the entire Mirror Flower Valley, causing the spiritual energy to surge and twist.
Boom—
The violent shockwave pushed Xie Xuechen back forcefully. His chest trembled, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, though he wasn’t seriously injured.
He stared blankly ahead, gazing at the nearby scene.
That slender, fragile figure was flung into the air like a flower caught in spring winds, petals scattering midair before gently descending into dust. Blood spread beneath her, staining the grassy earth a vivid red, while her face remained pale as paper.
Xie Xuechen’s eyes widened slowly. It seemed he understood something, yet refused to believe what he saw. Wanren dropped with a loud thud—he forgot the sword in his hand and rushed to her side without hesitation.
“Ling’er!” Xie Xuechen trembled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her into his embrace.
Mu Xuanling had suffered a grievous blow to her chest and abdomen, leaving horrifying wounds. Blood flowed like water from the injuries, draining warmth and life from her body. She struggled to lift her hand to touch Xie Xuechen, but after exhausting all her strength, she could only twitch her fingertips. As she opened her mouth, blood gushed from her lips, choking her throat.
So many words remained unspoken… so many things left undone…
She wasn’t a half-demon after all… they could have had many, many children…
Furrowing her brows, a scalding tear slid from the corner of her eye.
—Big Brother, let me protect you this time…
“How could this happen…” Nan Xuyue staggered toward her, his handsome face drained of color. He clutched his chest and collapsed to his knees halfway, blood dripping from his lips. With great effort, he lifted his head. Through his blurred vision, he saw the abandoned heavy sword and beside it, the shattered jade pendant.
“So she secretly gave the pendant to you…” Nan Xuyue realized suddenly, laughing bitterly, bitterly. He clenched his hand tightly, only to release it weakly…
He was wrong…
He could have stopped all this…
He thought he had calculated fate itself, but overlooked the human heart…
“She’ll be fine,” Xie Xuechen whispered shakily, his left hand attempting to cover her abdominal wound, but in vain. The blood kept gushing, soaking his trembling hand, scalding it painfully. He frantically pulled out a medicinal vial, pouring out a pill glowing with precious light, trying to feed it into her mouth. Her pale lips parted slightly, the pill entered, but she lacked the strength to swallow. He bent down and kissed her icy lips, attempting to push the pill into her throat.
But he could clearly feel the soft body in his arms growing cold, her life fading, her breath ceasing.
Xie Xuechen remained motionless against her lips, his dark, deep phoenix eyes losing their luster, reflecting her pale, serene face. Not long ago, she had smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, whispering his name lovingly.
“Ling’er…” His voice was low, husky, and tender, suppressing grief and trembling, trying to awaken her to open her eyes—but there was no response.
“She can’t die! How could she possibly die!” Su Ningzhen, barely clinging to life, stared at Mu Xuanling, shouting hoarsely, “She possesses the Chaos Pearl and inherited Ning Xi’s vitality! How could she die so easily! You can’t fool me!”
Xie Xuechen held Mu Xuanling tightly, his cold, sharp gaze turning toward Su Ningzhen. The icy killing intent in his phoenix eyes made Su Ningzhen freeze stiffly, sensing the threat of death.
Suddenly, Su Ningzhen felt intense pain in her back. Looking down, she saw a sword tip piercing through her chest, dripping with her heart’s blood.
“You despicable one,” came Nan Xuyue’s cold voice from behind, holding the sword Wanren in his hand.
Su Ningzhen opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Blood gushed from her mouth in large quantities.
Gao Qiumin let out a piercing wail and rushed toward Su Ningzhen.
“Master, Master…” She hugged Su Ningzhen’s collapsing body, helplessly crying out. She didn’t know whether she should hate her. Her birth had been merely a sordid conspiracy. She thought she was a dragon among men, born noble, but in reality, no one truly valued her. Yet for the past twenty years, at least this person had truly loved her—even if it was out of guilt toward Su Ningxi, she had given her everything…
“Master, don’t die…” Gao Qiumin cried over Su Ningzhen’s corpse, having lost her only support in this world…
Nan Xuyue dragged his heavy, unsteady steps toward Mu Xuanling, not sparing another glance at Su Ningzhen and Gao Qiumin. He slowly knelt beside her, lowered his head, and trembled as he reached out to feel her pulse.
“This can’t be…” Nan Xuyue murmured in confusion, “She shouldn’t die…”
He had calculated every fate and omen, yet missed this one.
It should have been Xie Xuechen who died, not Ling’er…
Where had he gone wrong?
Sang Qi struggled to sit up, his silver hair turned completely white, his silver eyes also losing their luster. He stared blankly at the lifeless Mu Xuanling, vaguely recalling her smiling or crying, calling him Master.
Had she really died…
So even he felt such sorrow at seeing her death…
“Ling’er…” Sang Qi’s voice was weak and hoarse, filled with grief, “It shouldn’t have ended this way…”
“Sang Qi,” Xie Xuechen’s trembling voice sounded, “you killed her.”
“It was me…” Sang Qi smiled bitterly, covering his lips with his hand, unable to stop the blood pouring from his mouth. His dim eyes looked at Xie Xuechen, “Or perhaps it was you… Perhaps seven years ago, when she saved you, she exhausted all her vitality.”
“What?” Xie Xuechen looked at Sang Qi, stunned and confused, “Seven years ago… Ling’er saved me?”
“You really forgot,” Sang Qi chuckled hoarsely, “Seven years ago, at Mingyue Villa, you destroyed your spiritual node yourself. It was Ling’er who saved you… Yes, from the moment I first saw her, I never saw any demon markings on her. I suppose she gave everything to you.”
Xie Xuechen lowered his phoenix eyes blankly, his hands that held Mu Xuanling trembling uncontrollably—those hands, once the world’s most steady and powerful sword-holding hands.
“She never said anything…”
Seven years ago, at Mingyue Villa, his memory was blank. He could never recall what had happened. It turned out he had known Ling’er long before, and she had saved him, yet she never mentioned it. So that day at Ranyuan wasn’t their first meeting. Every moment after that, her affection and reliance toward him had been sown seven years ago…
But he had forgotten everything, leaving only her to remember…
Xie Xuechen’s heart twisted in pain, his eyes stinging and burning. He buried his face in her neck, his trembling shoulders betraying his suppressed grief, a sob escaping his throat.
“Ling’er…”
Sang Qi closed his eyes painfully.
He had lost Ning Xi, and now he had lost Ling’er. Proud of his intelligence, he had been deceived all his life. He had cultivated supreme martial arts, only to be manipulated in the end…
He never intended to kill Ling’er, nor did he wish to oppose her, which was why he placed restrictions on her, preventing her from attacking him. Yet he never imagined she would embrace death willingly, choosing mutual destruction with him.
Sang Qi had exhausted everything to withstand that strike, but in the end, it only prolonged his breath by fifteen more minutes. His vitality was gone, his silver hair turned white, his breath fading. He dragged his broken body away without looking back.
If he had only fifteen minutes left, he thought… he would go to Xingchen Valley one last time, to see Ning Xi…
He walked step by step, leaving bloodstains, staggering to that tree, collapsing to his knees, extending his pale left hand to dig at the soil beneath it. Blood mixed with tears, drop by drop, falling into the earth.
His left hand, covered in dirt and blood, bruised and scraped, finally touched the hard jade coffin. A glimmer flickered in his silver pupils, yet it was the last glimmer of his life.
His body collapsed forward helplessly, his pale face pressed against the icy jade coffin. His trembling fingertips caressed it, his blood-stained lips parting silently, tenderly whispering—Ning Xi…
—Ning Xi, I made one mistake after another, until today, my hands soaked in blood, harming others and myself…
—I come to see you, yet I no longer have the face to meet you…
Touching the cold jade coffin, he seemed to feel her delicate face, her smiling eyes. She reached for his hand willingly, kissed his eyes, wrapped her soft arms around his shoulders, and gently, lovingly whispered his name against his forehead.
—I love Sang Qi the most…
Among the countless people in this world, only one loved him so deeply—enough for a lifetime…
Yet he had left her alone here, for twenty long years, not fulfilling a single promise he made.
—Ning Xi, if there is a next life, would you… have mercy on me once more…
At the moment of death, he dissipated his demonic powers. Threads of demonic energy seeped from his body. What remained was only a lifeless corpse, as if this way, he could meet her in the underworld, pure and clean.
But in the end, he never saw her one last time.
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