The Qingwu Sword’s light slashed horizontally, with Sang Dai pouring her spiritual power into the blade. The luminous glow forcefully carved out a path through the roaring, sky-high flames.
Her blue dress fluttered gracefully, and the austere black longsword in her hand felt as though it were her own natal sword, working in perfect harmony with her. The sword cultivator spun out a sharp sword flourish, and before Su Xuan could react, her figure had already plunged into the karmic flames and ghostly fire.
“Dai Dai!”
“Miss Sang!”
Two voices called out, one after another.
With Sang Dai’s approach, the vengeful spirits that had not yet perished within the karmic flames grew even more frenzied. At the same time, more vengeful spirits surged out from behind Ling Yin.
Their blood-red eyes gleamed with cruelty and greed. Although cultivators at the Grand Ascension Stage and Nascent Soul Stage were present, they didn’t spare Su Xuan or Liu Lixue a glance, heading straight toward Sang Dai instead.
Ghost cultivators were supposed to fear karmic flames, yet Sang Dai’s allure clearly surpassed even these flames, even outweighing their very lives.
They reached out frantically, the ghostly patterns on their faces becoming more pronounced.
Su Xuan was much faster than Liu Lixue. He dashed into the karmic flames, intending to grab Sang Dai and pull her back.
At that moment—
Thunder rumbled.
Under the dim heavens, thick clouds suddenly gathered. The sky was torn apart by lightning, which danced like a silver dragon among the black clouds. Bolts of lightning rained down from the clouds, converging on the Qingwu Sword.
In Su Xuan’s hand, the black longsword could summon karmic flames. However, now in Sang Dai’s grasp, heavenly lightning coiled from the hilt to the blade like a silver serpent, spiraling tightly around it.
Sang Dai pressed her wrist downward, releasing her spiritual power in a torrent. The overwhelming pressure whipped her layered robes into the air, and the thin veil draped over her shoulders fluttered wildly in the gale. The silver hairpin in her bun jingled amidst the chaos.
Thunder roared like a furious beast. The lightning, accompanied by the sword’s radiance, slashed down horizontally, shattering the ground inch by inch. Dust billowed, debris and rubble scattered.
The vengeful spirits didn’t even have time to scream before their bodies were obliterated by the sword’s radiance. Severed limbs littered the ground, and filthy blood splattered like ink. However, the sword cultivator’s spiritual power kept the contamination at bay.
Only karmic flames could kill these vengeful spirits. The severed limbs on the ground weren’t entirely dead yet; they instinctively sought their respective flesh and blood, trying to reassemble their bodies.
Sang Dai shouted, “Su Xuan!”
Su Xuan’s eyes darkened. He teleported to Sang Dai’s side and backhandedly intensified the surrounding karmic flames. The raging fire consumed every fragment of the corpses, burning them clean.
Their souls were scattered, utterly destroyed.
Liu Lixue: “…”
He was dumbfounded.
In his mind, Sang Dai had always been a gentle person. Her face might have been cold, but she was kind and nearly without temper. Liu Lixue had thought that dismembering bodies was something only a maniac like Su Xuan would do.
Even if these were ghost cultivators who had committed heinous crimes and turned into vengeful spirits, directly striking them with heavenly lightning until they were reduced to pieces… It was undeniably a bit too ruthless.
Nearly a hundred vengeful spirits had been slain by Sang Dai. She sheathed her sword as the Qingwu Sword hummed excitedly, trembling with fervor.
So strong, so strong, so strong!!!
When the lightning had coiled around it, its sword intent had been pushed to the peak. The Qingwu Sword’s sword spirit was so exhilarated that it darted around frantically, screaming in Su Xuan’s sea of consciousness.
“Master, Master! Your wife is amazing! I love her, I love her, I love her so much!!!”
“Heavenly Thunder, that’s Nine Heavens Profound Thunder! It’s a gift from the Heavenly Dao! I actually got touched by the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder!!”
“Master, master, master, can you give me to her? I want to follow her!”
At this moment, the Qingwu Sword completely betrayed its loyalty.
Su Xuan, however, didn’t get angry. The corners of his lips curled into a faint smile as he lazily responded to the Qingwu Sword.
“No, you’re not as good as Zhiyu. You’re not worthy of her.”
Qingwu: “???”
It protested, “Just that broken sword?”
Su Xuan retorted, “That is the number one famous sword in the world, forged by its master over a hundred years, imbued with the purest Guixu spiritual power. How could a mere broken sword like you compare?”
“I am not a broken sword! I am a Heaven-Grade-Magical Weapon!”
Su Xuan ignored it, turning his head slightly to look at the sword cultivator standing beside him.
Her black hair had been tousled slightly by the earlier gust of wind, and the tassels hanging from her pearl hairpin had become tangled.
But she still looked stunning.
So beautiful.
Sang Dai didn’t notice Su Xuan’s gaze, her eyes fixed instead on Ling Yin, standing not far away.
“Senior, I’ve come in.”
The corners of Ling Yin’s lips still carried a gentle smile. No matter when she saw Sang Dai, she always seemed to be smiling, looking at her with an expression akin to a senior observing a younger generation. There was always an inexplicable sense of harmony.
But now, that gaze held something more.
It was admiration.
Sang Dai walked toward her, stepping across the blood-soaked ground.
She stopped in front of Ling Yin, her gaze lowering slightly to meet hers.
It wasn’t her imagination; when the two of them stood side by side, Ling Yin was indeed slightly shorter than her.
“Senior.” Sang Dai paused for a moment before saying, “You’ve worked hard.”
Ling Yin’s smile deepened, and she asked in return, “How have I worked hard?”
Sang Dai replied, “I just think you’ve had a hard time.”
Ling Yin sighed lightly and said, “You truly are as I imagined.”
Sang Dai asked, “How do you imagine me?”
But Ling Yin only smiled and said, “I think you’re a very good person.”
It was a vague description—good in what way, and why? Ling Yin didn’t elaborate on any of it.
But Sang Dai understood her meaning.
She lowered her eyes slightly and said, “Senior, we’ve come today with many offenses, but we truly needed to see you.”
“Are you sure you want to follow me in?”
“I’m sure.”
“Even though it will be dangerous inside?”
“Yes.”
Ling Yin reached out her hand and brushed against the side of Sang Dai’s face. Her hand was icy cold, and the dense ghostly aura around her brought a chilling sensation that seeped into Sang Dai’s body through her skin.
Sang Dai remained still, allowing Ling Yin to touch her, but Su Xuan frowned.
The ghostly aura of a Tribulation Stage ghost cultivator was not something Sang Dai could endure for long. Just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn would be enough to make her fall unconscious for several months.
But Ling Yin seemed aware of this as well. She quickly withdrew her hand, stepping back to put some distance between herself and Sang Dai.
“Miss, if you dare to enter, then follow me in.”
She turned and walked slowly toward the depths of the Red Sand Spring. Her long black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, unbound.
Sang Dai noticed how very slow Ling Yin’s steps were. Her wide robes concealed her entire body, and Sang Dai couldn’t tell how she was moving.
Sang Dai’s expression became slightly more serious, and just as she was about to follow Ling Yin, someone grabbed her wrist.
Turning back, she saw Su Xuan standing behind her.
He held her slender wrist firmly, his glassy eyes deep and heavy. “Sang Dai, we don’t know what’s inside.”
[If Ling Yin makes a move, Dai Dai won’t stand a chance against her. We also don’t know how many vengeful spirits are in there or why they are so obsessed with Dai Dai’s flesh and blood. It’s too dangerous for her to go in alone.]
Sang Dai listened to his words without missing a single detail. She sighed softly, then turned her hand to press against the back of his hand, speaking calmly, “Su Xuan, trust me.”
Su Xuan’s grip tightened and then tightened again, but in the end, under Sang Dai’s steady gaze, he reluctantly let go.
“Fine, I’ll go in with you.”
Liu Lixue hurried over. “I’ll go too, I’ll go too!”
He was genuinely terrified of this place. The ghostly aura was both heavy and oppressive, and the number of vengeful spirits was impossible to count.
Ling Yin glanced back at them and said, “Since you’ve all come, then come inside.”
“The answers you seek, I will give to you.”
She turned and walked into the darkness.
Sang Dai followed quickly, with Su Xuan staying close at her side.
Liu Lixue clutched tightly to the karmic flames Su Xuan had given him, channeling his spiritual power to ward off the ghostly aura. Even so, he could still feel a faint, lingering chill creeping in.
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. He hadn’t expected that even Su Xuan’s karmic flames would struggle to resist the ghostly aura of the Red Sand Spring.
As he walked, he glanced back casually at the path they had taken.
With just one look, his expression immediately turned grave.
At some unknown point, ghostly flames had reignited. The eerie green fire coalesced, forming a solid barrier that completely sealed off the way they had come.
No one from the outside could enter, and neither could they leave.
Liu Lixue’s gaze sharpened slightly.
It wasn’t his imagination—this newly rekindled ghostly flame was different from before.
Earlier, the ghostly flames were more defensive in nature, intended to block outsiders from entering the Red Sand Spring. Thus, the flames had spread outward from the inside.
But now, despite the significant amount of ghostly flames being suppressed earlier by Sang Dai’s heavenly thunder and Su Xuan’s karmic flames, these new flames were not weaker. Instead, they had grown even stronger, burning more intensely and encircling the entire Red Sand Spring in a tightening ring, spreading inward layer by layer.
It seemed… as if it was preventing anyone inside from leaving.
Liu Lixue felt his heart sink. He turned back to look at the unsuspecting Sang Dai and Su Xuan ahead of him, intending to warn them of this development. But before he could speak, he met a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.
At some point, Ling Yin, who was leading the way, had turned her head. Her pupils had become a deep black, and a shadowy darkness seemed to shroud the depths of her eyes. She stared at Liu Lixue with an icy gaze, the corners of her lips lifting slightly into a faint smile.
Liu Lixue had followed Su Xuan for over a hundred years. When Su Xuan had seized his position back then, he had walked over countless corpses, and Liu Lixue had fought by his side against the entire Beast Realm. Failure would have meant certain death, yet he had never been afraid.
Though he always wore a frivolous expression and claimed to be fearful, in truth, fear had never taken root in his heart.
The young master of the Peacock Clan, Su Xuan’s most trusted confidant—how could such a person be a coward?
Yet, with just a glance, Ling Yin, despite her exceptionally delicate beauty and the faint smile on her face, made Liu Lixue feel a chill he had never known.
In that moment, he didn’t see a powerful linguistics cultivator or a gentle and kind female cultivator.
What he saw was a Tribulation Stage vengeful ghost, a ghost cultivator brimming with killing intent.
The cold crawled from the soles of his feet all the way to the top of his head, sending a shiver down his spine.
Ling Yin, still smiling, said, “We’re about to enter. This is your last chance to turn back. Gentlemen, do you wish to proceed?”
By this point, her question hardly held any meaning.
Su Xuan glanced at her coldly before walking straight ahead.
Sang Dai nodded and said, “Let’s go.”
Ling Yin smiled faintly and replied, “Alright.”
Su Xuan entered first, followed by Sang Dai. Now, only Ling Yin and Liu Lixue remained.
He met her gaze with a frosty expression, while Ling Yin continued to smile warmly and courteously nodded at him.
“What about you, young master? Will you enter?” she asked.
Liu Lixue found her smile particularly chilling. “What happens if I don’t go in?”
Ling Yin replied, “You’ll live.”
“And if I do?”
“You might die. Or you might not.”
Liu Lixue loathed riddles more than anything in life.
His usual nonchalance and playful demeanor were completely gone now. A sharp blade appeared at the tip of the folding fan in his hand, followed by a dozen more, each exuding a deadly chill.
Ling Yin remained unperturbed, as if entirely unaware of the cold killing intent emanating from Liu Lixue.
“Young master,” she asked again, her tone calm and unwavering, “will you come in?”
Liu Lixue tightened his grip on the folding fan in his hand.
The door behind Ling Yin was unlike any ordinary door. It was shrouded in thick ghostly aura, obscuring anything beyond it. All he could see was an expanse of darkness.
Clenching his teeth, he strode forward and stepped inside.
Since Su Xuan and Sang Dai had both gone in, even if there was a sheer cliff ahead, Liu Lixue would grit his teeth and jump after them.
But as soon as he entered, he realized that the inside was completely different from the outside.
The Burning Heaven Realm was filled with ghostly flames, desolate and cold, devoid of even a single blade of grass. All that could be seen was blackened earth scorched by ghostly fire, along with vengeful spirits scattered everywhere.
As the deepest part of the Burning Heaven Realm, Liu Lixue had expected the Red Sand Spring to be swarming with vengeful spirits or filled with even more intense ghostly flames.
But what lay before him completely overturned his expectations.
Inside, there were no ghostly flames, nor any visible traces of ghostly aura. It wasn’t even as dim as the outside.
It was… a garden.
Liu Lixue saw a sea of flowers of all kinds, their petals bright and vibrant, clustered together in abundance. The moment they stepped in, they were greeted by a mingling of rich floral scents.
Above them hung thousands of lanterns, illuminating the entire garden.
The garden was vast and brightly lit, utterly incompatible with the bleakness of the Burning Heaven Realm.
Sang Dai exchanged a glance with Su Xuan, both of their expressions heavy with concern.
How could there be flowers in the Burning Heaven Realm? What kind of flowers were these?
Before they could even begin to ponder the answer, Su Xuan suddenly grabbed Sang Dai’s hand and pulled her closer.
Sang Dai reacted quickly as well, drawing her sword and slashing behind her.
The vine that had wrapped around her leg was severed, twitching on the ground a few times before dissipating into a wisp of smoke.
It was that very vine that had stealthily coiled around her calf. Tiny thorns covered its surface, and one had just pierced into her leg moments ago. The vine’s movements were swift and calculated—it was clearly sentient.
There were too many flowers clustered together here, camouflaging the vine. Neither Su Xuan nor Sang Dai had noticed when it had emerged.
Su Xuan knelt down, lifting the hem of her skirt slightly with one hand. Before the sword cultivator could react, he had tugged her embroidered sock down slightly, exposing her fair ankle.
His hand moved to grasp it.
Sang Dai was utterly stunned, caught off guard by his actions. She froze for a moment, unable to process what was happening. By the time she realized what he was doing, she was so startled that her voice trembled.
“Su Xuan!”
“Don’t move.”
Su Xuan remained half-kneeling in front of her, one hand holding her ankle while the other carefully extracted the thorn embedded in her skin. Then, he placed his palm over the small wound on the sword cultivator’s ankle.
Sang Dai’s face flushed red. His body temperature was high, while hers ran cool. The contact between them made their presence acutely clear to one another.
Her ankle, held in his broad palm, felt entirely enveloped. Su Xuan’s hand was so large that it completely covered her delicate ankle.
His spiritual power flowed into her, burning away the residual poison in the wound.