Chapter 24:

Xie Xuechen thought that Mu Xuanling might really have mistaken him for someone else. He didn’t know who she had mistaken him for, perhaps the “older brother” she had mentioned, but Xie Xuechen knew for sure that he wasn’t that person.

If Mu Xuanling could suddenly awaken and let go of her obsession with him, perhaps it would be better for both of them.

However, thinking about this possibility didn’t bring him a sense of relief or ease his heart.

Instead, he felt a vague sense of irritation and a dull ache.

After returning, Mu Xuanling went straight to the dungeon, closed the iron gate behind her, and lay down on the straw pile. She stared at the stone wall with her eyes wide open, and the scene from seven years ago kept appearing before her. Who was that person who looked so much like Xie Xuechen?

Besides Xie Xuechen, who else could it be?

If it had truly been him back then, he wouldn’t have pushed her away, would he? He had risked his life to save her, so how could he bear to abandon her?

Feeling wronged, Mu Xuanling hugged herself tightly and closed her eyes in sorrow. It was fine this way—staying here forever was acceptable too, since there was no one in this world who loved her deeply anymore.

Drifting into a drowsy sleep, Mu Xuanling didn’t hear the faint footsteps behind her due to her lost cultivation abilities.

A figure covered her curled, frail body. Warm fingertips wiped away the tears on her lashes, and a barely audible sigh was suppressed in the person’s throat. He pulled a blanket over her, finally awakening her.

Rubbing her eyes, Mu Xuanling looked clearly at the person sitting beside her.

“Nan Gongzi?” she called in a hoarse voice.

Nan Xuyue’s fingertips still carried the dampness from her lashes. He gently rubbed his fingers and spoke softly, “Is this your choice—to stay here and become a prisoner?”

Mu Xuanling lowered her head with a sense of guilt. “You don’t have to sacrifice so much for my sake.”

“This isn’t a sacrifice,” Nan Xuyue said earnestly. “It’s something I’ve longed for.”

“Nan Gongzi…”

“You can call me Nan Xuyue, or just use my given name.” Nan Xuyue interrupted her.

Mu Xuanling fluttered her lashes and sighed, “Nan Xuyue, I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

That day when he had held her in the garden and said those words, she had tossed and turned, thinking it over and over, but still couldn’t understand why. In her mind, Nan Xuyue was an extremely gentle and kind young nobleman. Sacrificing his reputation for someone else was understandable. But she felt it wasn’t necessary, and she didn’t want to drag him down.

Nan Xuyue smiled bitterly. “If you understood your own feelings for Xie Xuechen, you would understand mine for you.”

“This is what I don’t understand,” Mu Xuanling frowned. “I’ve never given you anything, nor treated you especially well.”

In her heart, there had only ever been one person. Everyone else was just… everyone else.

She couldn’t bring herself to say such cruel words to Nan Xuyue, but her heartbeat was resolute, clear and painful to Nan Xuyue’s ears.

“It’s just that you don’t realize it yourself,” Nan Xuyue said, his expression darkening, making Mu Xuanling momentarily lose her composure.

“Xuanling, back then when we first met was the darkest time of my life. It was you who helped me walk out of that shadow and become the Nan Xuyue of today.”

Looking at Nan Xuyue’s serious expression, Mu Xuanling could barely recall what she had said back then. She only remembered that Nan Xuyue had been very upset, and she had said something to comfort him.

“I’ll tell you a secret. Will you listen?” Nan Xuyue asked softly.

Mu Xuanling hesitated briefly before nodding. “Okay, I’ll keep it a secret.”

Nan Xuyue said, “Actually, my spiritual passageways were not destroyed by the demon race.”

Mu Xuanling’s pupils shrank, and her heart jolted as Nan Xuyue continued in a calm tone. “It was my mother, Lady Xue, who colluded with evil cultivators and pretended to be demons who abducted me.”

“Madame Xue is my nominal mother. My father, Nan Wujiu, had five wives, and Madame Xue was the one with the highest cultivation. Before I was born, her son, Nan Xingye, was my father’s most outstanding son. At fifteen, he formed a golden core and was on the verge of manifesting a dharma body.”

Mu Xuanling could almost guess what happened next. Indeed, what Nan Xuyue said next was a familiar tale of worldly affairs.

“Nan Xingye was my elder brother and was meant to inherit Yunxiu Manor. However, after I was born, my father showered all his affection and attention on me. Everyone knew Yunxiu Manor would ultimately belong to me.” Nan Xuyue suddenly let out a low chuckle. “Truthfully, I had long sensed Xue’s hatred toward me, but I assumed she would fear the repercussions of harming me.”

Mu Xuanling asked, “Did you discover her collusion with evil cultivators?”

Nan Xuyue nodded. “She thought disguising her accomplices as enemies would fool everyone, but I still found evidence and told everything to my father. It was her who colluded with evil cultivators, but the mastermind behind it all was Nan Xingye.”

“Then… did your father handle it fairly?” Mu Xuanling asked softly.

“Fairly?” Nan Xuyue repeated the word softly, slightly frowning. “Xuanling, do you know what fairness is?”

Mu Xuanling thought for a moment. “Fairness is when good and evil receive their due rewards.”

Nan Xuyue smiled slightly and ruffled her hair. “That’s exactly what the ten-year-old me thought too.”

Mu Xuanling felt a bit stunned, sensing a bad premonition in her heart.

The scene in Nan Xuyue’s mind became clear once more. He faintly heard Xue’s cries and Nan Xingye’s pleas for mercy. His enraged father raised his iron palm high, spiritual energy gathering in his hand, poised to strike them both down.

Xue clung to Nan Wujiu’s legs, weeping and attempting to hold him back.

“She said, ‘Would you destroy a golden core for the sake of a useless child?'” Nan Xuyue softly repeated Xue’s hysterical scream. At the time, he hadn’t understood the weight of those words.

Now, Mu Xuanling didn’t understand either. Her beautiful eyes seemed to be shrouded in mist.

“Xuanling, that’s when I realized that my father’s idea of fairness was power,” Nan Xuyue’s smile carried a hint of sadness. “The injuries I suffered, the things I lost—they no longer mattered because they were already gone. My older brother had already formed a golden core and was on the verge of manifesting a dharma body. I was crippled, and he was the hope of Yunxiu Manor. My father wouldn’t destroy the hope of Yunxiu Manor for the sake of a useless person.”

A coldness spread through Mu Xuanling’s chest, as if she were in a frozen wasteland, her limbs stiff and unable to move.

Nan Xuyue was still smiling, but there was no joy in it.

“I once thought I had everything. It turned out to be an illusion. When I lost my power, I lost my family’s affection as well.” Nan Xuyue’s slightly cool fingertips brushed Mu Xuanling’s hairline. He said sorrowfully, “That year, when I went to Mingyue Manor to borrow the Chaos Pearl, I met you. You told me that if no one liked me, I should keep all the affection for myself. Even if I became a useless person, I could still do many things that others couldn’t. You don’t know that your careless words gave me hope for rebirth. I wanted to take you with me, but at that time, I was just a useless person. When I made that request, I only received my father’s impatience and disgust.”

“I wanted to wait until the day I became the master of Yunxiu Manor, then I could rightfully come for you. But before I could sit on the master’s seat, I heard that Mingyue Manor had been brutally attacked and turned into ruins. I went to see it myself. Some half-demons were dead, burned to ashes, while others were captured by Sang Qi and became his demon soldiers. I didn’t know whether you were alive or dead, and I could find no trace of you. I could only bury my regrets deep in my heart.”

“But now, I have the power to protect you, yet you no longer want me.” Nan Xuyue sighed bitterly. “Xuanling, I was the one who met you first.”

Mu Xuanling’s mind was in chaos, and Nan Xuyue’s words left her stunned for a long time. She felt pity and anger for Nan Xuyue’s plight and deep helplessness for his sorrow. The past had already passed. In her heart, there was already someone else. Whether that person was Xie Xuechen or not, Nan Xuyue was just a friend to her.

The bright moon brings new sights, and thoughts linger from dawn to dusk. It turned out that everyone had their own yearnings, close yet so far apart.

Mu Xuanling didn’t know how to respond to Nan Xuyue’s tenderness. Suddenly, she understood Xie Xuechen’s helplessness. It turned out that when he faced her, he felt the same difficulty and guilt.

Just as Mu Xuanling was about to speak, she suddenly felt a violent tremor in the dungeon, and the torchlight flickered.

“What’s going on?” Mu Xuanling leaned against the stone wall, feeling the mountain shaking violently beneath her palm.

Could it be an earthquake? But Yongsue City had a protective barrier. How could such a strong earthquake happen?

Nan Xuyue grabbed Mu Xuanling’s wrist urgently. “Let’s leave here first!”

Mu Xuanling was involuntarily pulled by Nan Xuyue toward the dungeon exit. The shaking of the mountain made her feel dizzy, and the corridor in front of her seemed to come alive, everything around her distorting.

A familiar aura poured down from above, enveloping everything. Mu Xuanling felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss, her limbs instantly freezing.

“It’s him…” she slowed her pace, her eyes dazed, murmuring to herself. “Why is he here?”

Nan Xuyue also felt that oppressive aura—dark and immense, pressing heavily on his heart, making it hard to suppress the fear. Seeing Mu Xuanling’s pale face, he suddenly understood what she was afraid of.

“Is this power from Sang Qi?” Nan Xuyue couldn’t quite believe it, because this power was too immense. Sang Qi was only a half-demon, known for his cruelty, cunning, and mystery. Hardly anyone had ever seen him fight in person. But the potential of half-demons in cultivation was limited. How could he possess such immense power?

Mu Xuanling had been by Sang Qi’s side for seven years and had never seen him fight, but this power far exceeded her imagination.

Why had Sang Qi come to Yongsue City? What did he want to do?

Could it be for her?

At midnight, Yongsue City was quiet and peaceful, covered by an invisible hemispherical barrier that blocked out evil intrusions. Sang Qi’s power and aura were too strong. As soon as he approached, the protective barrier was activated, emitting golden-white light to resist the dark demonic aura from the netherworld.

Sang Qi rode the wind in midair, wearing a black cloak, his power surging outward. His silver hair moved without wind, wildly flying. His right hand, protruding from the cloak, had a silvery metallic sheen, engraved with dense, eerie runes. At this moment, those runes seemed to come alive, swimming along his arm. Then, they transformed into a black, slender spirit snake that flew out. A surge of demonic energy roared, and the black spirit snake rapidly expanded in the demonic energy, soon growing to dozens of zhang in length, like an ink-black dragon. It raised its head and roared, causing the earth to shake. The ink-black dragon’s eyes glowed with a blood-red ferocity as it dove toward the barrier of Yongsue City. The golden light barrier dimmed instantly, and the entire mountain trembled.

The dragon let out a painful roar, its fury amplifying its strength. It raised its thick neck and swung its head, crashing even harder into the barrier. At that moment, an extremely sharp sword qi suddenly appeared, splitting toward the dragon’s eyes. The dragon couldn’t dodge in time and was struck between the eyes by the sword qi. A puff of black smoke rose, and it twisted in pain in the air.

The golden light returned to its master’s hand. A white-robed swordsman lifted his cold, phoenix-like eyes and gazed at the enemy a hundred zhang away.

“Master Xie, it’s been a while,” Sang Qi’s cold, low voice came from afar. His voice wasn’t loud, but it seemed to echo in the ears, like a gentle whisper, yet clearly carrying malice and killing intent.

Xie Xuechen’s wide sleeves fluttered, the vermilion mark on his forehead glowing faintly. He stood proudly like a celestial being, facing the black-robed priest in a standoff.

“In the Ten-Thousand Immortals Formation, your strength was less than a ten-thousandth of what it is now,” Xie Xuechen said coldly, looking at Sang Qi. “I wonder what business the High Priest has here.”

Sang Qi curled his thin, crimson lips into a smile. “Of course, it’s to retrieve my beloved disciple.”

“That might not be possible,” Xie Xuechen said, raising his sword in front of his chest. The sword Juntian emitted dazzling light, illuminating the heavens and earth, keeping the demonic energy at bay.

“Master Xie, there’s no need to be so confrontational. I have no ill intentions toward you,” Sang Qi said calmly. “Didn’t my little Xuanling tell you that it was I who taught her to rescue you from the molten abyss?”

Xie Xuechen’s heart trembled, but he quickly composed himself, refusing to listen to Sang Qi’s deceptive words.

Sang Qi chuckled softly. “You don’t believe me, do you? It was I who taught her to refine the Half-Day Ephemeral Blossom. There is only one such blossom in the world.”

In response, Juntian Sword unleashed a heaven-shattering slash that shattered the heavens.

That slash was like the rising sun, making stars and moon lose their luster, causing the demonic dragon to tremble.

Sang Qi could barely withstand the slash. His black robe developed a slight tear, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. His expression turned serious.

Xie Xuechen’s determination was firmer than he had imagined. What he said was the truth, but since Xie Xuechen didn’t believe him, there was nothing he could do.

He knew Xie Xuechen had suffered a serious injury a few days ago and had been depleting his spiritual energy daily without fully recovering. But he had seen Xie Xuechen’s sword techniques in the Ten-Thousand Immortals Formation—relentless and leaving no room for retreat, unleashing power far beyond the human race’s limits.

Sang Qi had only come to retrieve his disciple and had no intention of fighting Xie Xuechen to the death.

A strange gleam flashed in his silver eyes. Sang Qi extended his other hand—his left hand. A slender, delicate hand, even more beautiful and powerful than a woman’s. He spread his fingers, and his ivory fingertips slowly turned bright red. A drop of dark red blood floated from his fingertip, suspended in the air. His fingers traced a mysterious talisman in the void. The dark red blood twisted into the talisman like a red thread floating in the air, emitting a faint red glow.

Blood-colored light floated in Sang Qi’s silver eyes. Slowly raising his hand, the red net instantly spun wildly, growing larger and larger. The palm-sized talisman soon covered the sky and the moon, plunging Yongsue City into darkness.

Xie Xuechen immediately felt the spiritual energy around him rapidly declining, replaced by a rampant surge of demonic energy, as if this place was no longer the human world but the demonic realm.

This was the ghostly technique of the half-demon priest—combining the formation with demonic energy to create myriad variations, one of the most powerful formations—the Heaven-Stealing and Earth-Exchanging Formation.

This formation could only last for a quarter of an hour. During this time, within the formation’s coverage, spiritual energy would not regenerate, while demonic energy would surge. Xie Xuechen’s power would be greatly reduced, while the demonic dragon’s strength would increase by more than double. The demonic energy was wildly absorbed into the dragon’s body, and the sword wound on its forehead quickly healed. Two horns grew on its forehead, its body enlarged and became more solid and fierce. Its eyes glowed with ferocity as it roared toward Xie Xuechen.

Juntian Sword transformed from one into countless blades, weaving a vast net of sword light to block the demonic dragon’s path. The dragon ferociously struggled within the sword net, biting through it and continuing toward Xie Xuechen. It lunged at Xie Xuechen but only struck empty air—it was just an afterimage.

The real Xie Xuechen had unknowingly appeared on the dragon’s back. He held Juntian Sword and stabbed downward through its body. However, the blade met no resistance. Xie Xuechen immediately realized it was a trap, but the demonic dragon had already turned back, spewing a surge of black demonic energy toward him.

Xie Xuechen dodged most of the demonic energy but was still grazed slightly. His chest turned black and purple.

—This demonic dragon was a mixture of reality and illusion, capable of transforming freely. If struck, it became solid; if attacked, it became illusory.

Defeating Xie Xuechen was nearly impossible for the demonic dragon, but defeating this demonic beast wasn’t something Xie Xuechen could achieve with just one sword strike.

Xie Xuechen shifted his gaze to Sang Qi and suddenly realized something was wrong. Juntian Sword Qi slashed toward Sang Qi, who didn’t dodge, allowing the sword Qi to pass through his chest and abdomen.

Xie Xuechen’s eyes darkened—it was a demonic energy illusion.

Sang Qi had only used the demonic dragon to stall him. His true target was Mu Xuanling. This was both a conspiracy and an open challenge. Even if Xie Xuechen saw through Sang Qi’s plan, he couldn’t possibly ignore the demonic dragon and let it wreak havoc on the people of Yongsue City.

After exiting the dungeon, Nan Xuyue and Mu Xuanling immediately saw the demonic dragon in the sky and the dazzling sword light.

“Sang Qi’s demonic dragon,” Mu Xuanling’s breath caught, a sudden pain in her chest. Her strength seemed to drain from her body, and she helplessly collapsed to the ground.

Nan Xuyue quickly supported her, asking with concern, “What’s wrong with you?”

Mu Xuanling’s face was pale, unable to speak.

Nan Xuyue glanced at Xie Xuechen, who was locked in battle with the demonic dragon, then suddenly bent down and carried Mu Xuanling on his back.

“Nan…” Mu Xuanling’s breathing was rapid and disordered. She couldn’t call Nan Xuyue’s name. Weakly leaning on Nan Xuyue’s slightly thin back, she felt the warmth and determination radiating from him.

“There’s a teleportation formation in my room. I’ll take you away first,” Nan Xuyue said.

He had an old injury on his leg. Under his long robe was a prosthetic limb. Normally, he walked slowly, making it hard for others to notice his disability. But now, with Mu Xuanling on his back, he walked quickly, making her clearly feel the hardships he had endured.

Mu Xuanling’s chest ached with each breath, and along with the pain came an indescribable bitterness.

—You don’t have to be so good to me…

Each of those thousand steps pressed heavily on her heart.

However, before they could reach the teleportation formation, a tall figure blocked their path.

The black-robed priest stood under a plum tree not far away, smiling as if attending a long-awaited rendezvous. He lowered his head to smell the plum blossom fragrance but gently crushed the petals with his fingertip. His silver eyes, slightly upturned, glanced at the two who had stopped in their tracks. His thin lips curled into a faint smile.

“Little Xuanling, it’s time to go home.”

Nan Xuyue slowly set Mu Xuanling down and opened his magical artifact, Zhefeng.

“I’ll hold him off. You go to the formation,” Nan Xuyue said.

Sang Qi sneered. “Master Nan, with your abilities, I doubt you can stop me.”

Yongsue City’s barrier couldn’t stop him either, but he didn’t want to confront Xie Xuechen directly, so he used the demonic dragon as a distraction. Losing a bit of his heart’s blood was of no consequence.

Mu Xuanling’s breath trembled as she weakly spoke. “Master, please don’t hurt him.”

Sang Qi smiled. “Alright, come here obediently.”

Mu Xuanling struggled to lift his foot, only to have his wrist firmly grasped by Nan Xuyue. With a solemn gaze, Nan Xuyue clenched the Zhefeng fan until his knuckles turned white—yet his hand didn’t waver in the slightest. Resolutely, he raised the magical artifact, and the folding fan snapped open with a sharp flick.

Sang Qi only saw that one side of the folding fan depicted a bamboo grove, painted so vividly that the faint sound of rustling leaves seemed to emanate from the fan’s surface. Suddenly, the bamboo leaves on the fan truly began to move, transforming into countless sharp green blades that swirled toward Sang Qi.

Sang Qi raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise and casually waved his hand, turning the bamboo leaves into green ash.

“Overestimating oneself,” Sang Qi scoffed lightly, but immediately afterward, his brow furrowed tightly.

Because the two people before them had already vanished.