Chapter 59:

Generally speaking, when men start cursing, women are left in the dust. Shen Jin, having been verbally assaulted by Xue Ying multiple times, had no trouble delivering a scathing tirade at Feng Yuemian.

“What kind of ground-scratching chicken is this, hopping around like a fool? Want me to set up a sign for you to hug and wail over? And you claim the Golden Crow is your home—next you’ll say the entire Four Realms belong to you, and we should all pitch in to beautify it.”

“Outrageous! The demon realm has been ruled by my Phoenix Clan since ancient times. Qiuqiu carries the blood of the Phoenix Clan—she is ours!”

“Then why don’t you climb up there and chew on some tender grass, you ground-scratching chicken?”

Qiuqiu, perched on the Fusang Tree, paid no attention to the commotion below, curling up in a nest to continue her deep slumber, determined to sleep for a full 180 days.

Cang Wu listened to the two idiots bickering for a while before rubbing his ears. “That’s some strong language.”

Just like Xue Ying—brutal when it came to insults.

Noticing that Xue Ying had revived, no longer wearing her veil and now cradling Bailu in her arms, he narrowed his eyes but ultimately said nothing.

Xue Ying, however, was feeling a bit paranoid. After all the effort to save the Four Realms, what if Feng Yuemian suddenly decided to pull a “Wu Gang chopping the osmanthus tree” move and ruined everything?

“Senior, is it really alright to leave this to the demon realm?”

Cang Wu, supporting his aching back, smoked even more heavily during his pregnancy, showing not a shred of maternal instinct. Puffing on his cigarette, he grumbled, “Those with nothing to lose fear nothing. The demon realm finally has something precious—they’ll fight tooth and nail to protect it.”

This wasn’t an empty boast. The miasma around the Fusang Tree seemed to have weakened slightly.

The sun would bring new hope.

Mid-conversation, Feng Yuemian—his face scratched up—noticed Xue Ying standing beside Cang Wu and sneered, “Oh, the Sword Immortal’s disciple. Long time no see. Life treating you well?”

Xue Ying thought for a moment. Given that Cang Wu and Feng Yuemian were now enemies, she firmly shot back, “None of your damn business.”

Feng Yuemian hadn’t expected such a calm response, but it didn’t stop him from continuing, “Running off to the demon realm to enjoy yourself, and—”

He paused, his gaze flickering between Xue Ying and Cen Wuwang, lingering on the red mark on her forehead. “You two slept together?”

He knew about this—the mark left after a spiritual communion, supposedly to prevent third parties from intruding. That was the theory, but hardly anyone actually did it. Even sworn partners could cheat or juggle multiple relationships. Who’d dare to hand over their spiritual essence to someone else—for life, no less?

The important thing was, once this mark appeared, everyone would know you’d slept together.

“None of your damn business.”

Xue Ying’s choice of men really wasn’t Feng Yuemian’s concern, but what came next was something she couldn’t ignore.

“Got time to find a man, but no time to go home and check on things? Maybe you’ll catch the last moments of the Tai Xuan and Tai Chu sects under the Dragon Clan’s oppression.”

He burst into arrogant laughter, only to be cut off by Xue Ying before he could finish.

“None of your damn business.”

Feng Yuemian nearly choked. “I said your home is about to be destroyed!”

Xue Ying’s expression didn’t change. “If we win, the Dragon Clan slinks back to the Eastern Sea. If we lose, they get beaten back to the Eastern Sea. Either way, it has nothing to do with your Phoenix Clan. Why are you so concerned about Tai Chu and Tai Xuan? Did your home get wrecked?”

Busy fighting Shen Jin but still had time to meddle in her affairs. Did Feng Yuemian have to pull all the aggro like some NPC in a video game?

Feng Yuemian wanted to curse, but Shen Jin didn’t give him the chance. The two immediately went back to tearing at each other.

Xue Ying pondered for a moment before deferring to the Sect Master’s decision.

“With the demon realm settled, will you return, Sect Master? Senior Brother Du has been waiting for you.”

What should have been a joyous ending took a turn. The Sect Master shook her head, gazing at the Golden Crow atop the Fusang Tree with a sigh. “I can’t go back.”

The demon realm had no spiritual energy to nourish the Fusang Tree. When Cen Wuwang shattered the barrier, the influx of energy was a drop in the bucket. In the end, she sacrificed herself to the tree—decades of cultivation vanished in an instant. Her body was bound, her soul eroded by miasma, left weak and frail.

But at least she had waited long enough.

“One day, you’ll see the sunset’s glow on the wheat fields, molten gold in the twilight. The sea of blood will recede, the Styx will regain its vitality. From death comes life—you’ll witness the most beautiful things this world has to offer. This is what the Three Realms owe the demon realm. Now, it must be repaid.”

The light in the Sect Master’s eyes dimmed, fireflies of spiritual energy drifting from her body. She looked at Cen Wuwang and the others, thoughts of Tai Chu Sect, Du Yizhou, and countless memories flashing through her mind. In the end, she only said, “Take care.”

“Sect Master…”

Xue Ying was on the verge of tears. Cang Wu remained silent. Only Cen Wuwang showed no emotion, asking instead, “By the way, will you be a sword cultivator in your next life?”

The Sect Master: “…”

Cen Wuwang continued, “You have good aptitude, plus the merit of sacrificing yourself for the tree. If you become a sword cultivator, your progress will be rapid. Why not consider it?”

The Sect Master gritted her teeth. “No.”

Cen Wuwang nodded. “Then hurry up and move on. Don’t delay your reincarnation.”

A perfect example of a heartless sword cultivator—if you’re no longer useful, off to the next life you go.

Perhaps facing death made one kinder, or maybe Cen Wuwang’s words provoked her, but the Sect Master abandoned her refined demeanor and laughed wildly.

“Screw being a sword cultivator! I followed the Ancestor’s decree and sacrificed myself for the tree—my merits are boundless. The Four Realms owe me a debt. When I return, I’ll be their ruler!”

More fireflies scattered from her body as the treasure mirror carried her soul away. Her final words echoed in the wind:

“All of you—will bow before me.”

Xue Ying didn’t know how to respond, only managing a dry, “That’s… bold.”

Cen Wuwang glanced at her, expression neutral. “You didn’t know? Her path was the Way of the Emperor.”

Forget men—this woman was ruthless enough to kill even herself. This life ended in grandeur. Next life, reborn with full buffs as the savior’s reincarnation? She might just end up as the story’s ultimate villain.

**

While Shen Jin and Feng Yuemian were locked in battle, Xue Ying bid farewell to Shen Jin, citing that her home was about to be overrun.

Shen Jin, busy with his chicken-fight against Feng Yuemian, waved her off impatiently. “Take the Witch Queen and the Nether Duke with you.”

No problem. Xue Ying agreed readily.

As she turned to leave, the usually hot-tempered Shen Jin suddenly muttered, “Thanks.”

For bringing new life to the demon realm.

Xue Ying paused, looking back with a faint smile. “They say there’s no way to repay a life-saving favor. If you really feel indebted—”

Shen Jin’s heart skipped a beat. He’d heard the saying: *If you can’t repay a life debt, offer yourself instead.*

“—just pay me in demon crystals.”

The Tai Xuan Sect would gladly accept such monetary humiliation.

Shen Jin: “…Get out. Now.”

In the end, Xue Ying and Cen Wuwang were politely escorted out of the demon realm. Cang Wu tagged along, claiming it wasn’t safe to give birth in the demon realm.

Xue Ying eyed Cang Wu’s swollen belly, puzzled. “Senior… are you male or female?”

Cang Wu’s reply: “In the world of cultivation, don’t sweat the small details.”

He was the only immortal tree in the Four Realms—no cross-pollination needed. He could reproduce entirely on his own. Not that he wanted to.

Despite the added burden of a geriatric pregnancy, Xue Ying didn’t dare delay. They rushed back to Tai Chu Sect, only to find shrimp soldiers and crab generals—standard cannon fodder—loitering outside the mountain gates. After three seconds of staring, the creatures proudly spilled everything about their young master’s predicament.

How the young master had been captured, how the Tai Xuan Sect had beaten him up for days, and how they were now scrambling for reinforcements.

It sounded… fine. Just not what Xue Ying had expected. She’d imagined her sect in dire straits, forced to their last stand by Ao Fugui, valiantly defending Tai Chu Sect even in the face of certain doom—a tale of brotherhood that would move the heavens.

In reality, the Tai Xuan Sect was a renowned sword cultivation sect in the Daoist realm. Taking down a dragon or two was child’s play. Sure, one might struggle against many, but a group of elite sword cultivators skewering seafood that had crawled ashore? No contest.

Xue Ying remembered Cen Wuwang’s track record in the Eastern Sea—how he’d nearly been killed by Ao Fugui. “Wasn’t Ao Fugui really strong back in the Eastern Sea?”

Cang Wu, trudging up the mountain behind her, snorted. “Dragons thrive near rivers and seas. On land, they’re worse than a plucked chicken. Barging into someone else’s domain to pick a fight? Another idiot who read too many fantasy novels.”

Your name is Ao Fugui, not Long Aotian. A dragon without water, prancing around on a Daoist’s turf? Consider yourself lucky if they only rip out your tendons.

After a few steps, Cang Wu refused to go further, claiming the climb was too strenuous for a pregnant man. He demanded that Xue Ying send someone down to fetch him while he waited below.

Given Cang Wu’s combat prowess and status, master and disciple unanimously agreed to abandon the pregnant elder without a second thought.

Resuming their journey, Xue Ying pressed for more details. Ao Fugui was indeed an idiot at times, but she remembered he had Yan Zhi by his side. “What about your Prime Minister Yan?”

A tiny lobster perched on her shoulder whimpered, “Prime Minister Yan offended the young master and went home a long time ago.”

Another crab chimed in, “I know! Our Prime Minister is actually a woman. When the young master found out, he wanted to take her as a concubine. She refused, they had a falling out, and she left.”

The lobster protested, “Lies! The Prime Minister is a real man! I checked with my claws—flat chest!”

The crab retorted, “What’s a flat chest? The woman we’re sitting on is flat too!”

The lobster never saw its crustacean comrade again for the rest of the trip.

Xue Ying’s voice was sickeningly sweet. “So Prime Minister Yan really left?”

The lobster trembled. “Y-yes. She even submitted her resignation.”

Xue Ying breathed a sigh of relief. Offending one or two people was inevitable, but angering a woman was far trickier than angering a man—especially one skilled in politics.

With Yan Zhi gone, Xue Ying practically skipped up to Tai Chu Sect, demanding to see Ao Fugui.

The Tai Chu disciple on duty recognized Xue Ying—but not without her veil. He stared at her for a long moment before floating inside like a ghost to report.

His announcement: *There’s an incredibly beautiful sword cultivator in the square, with dimples when she smiles. Utterly charming.*

Everyone perked up. *Super beautiful? More so than Senior Sister Xue Ying?* They stampeded out to see for themselves.

Du Yizhou was the first to hear the news. His immediate thought: *Did Xue Ying break Guanhuo again and come to demand compensation?* He stormed to the square, ready to teach her a lesson.

But when he arrived, seeing Xue Ying and Cen Wuwang side by side, his first words were—

“You two slept together?”

Not to be outdone, Wen An—who’d been staying at Tai Chu Sect—arrived moments later, echoing the same question.

“You… slept together?”