On Sang Dai’s other side, Liu Lixue muttered under his breath, “Is Fu You crazy? The Burning Heaven Realm isn’t a place you can just waltz into. How can he even suggest this?”
Sang Dai and Liu Lixue both knew the situation wasn’t so simple.
Fu You was playful, but he was also greedy for wealth. As the ghost cultivator who had killed the previous Nether Lord, he was certainly not someone who acted recklessly on a whim.
If something happened to someone in the Burning Heaven Realm, the blame would undoubtedly fall on Fu You. How could he dare to do such a thing?
Abandoning the spirit stones from the auction and risking the ire of the other three realms, all to place the items in the Burning Heaven Realm—it wasn’t just recklessness. There had to be more to it.
It was clear that Fu You’s approach had a deeper motive—this method promised far greater benefits to him, leaving him no choice but to proceed this way.
Fu You listened to their insults with a smile, remaining relaxed and unbothered.
Su Xuan sent a sound transmission to Sang Dai: [“I will go to the Burning Heaven Realm alone. You and Liu Lixue should stay—no, you will come with me.”]
As a Grand Ascension cultivator, Su Xuan had the ability to ensure Sang Dai would not be possessed by malevolent ghosts. However, if they separated, leaving Sang Dai under Liu Lixue’s care, Su Xuan would be uneasy. Liu Lixue, merely at the Nascent Soul stage, could hardly protect Sang Dai, especially when so many wanted her dead—and countless ghost cultivators were eyeing her as well.
Sang Dai whispered, “I will go with you. I must enter the Burning Heaven Realm.”
Su Xuan lowered his head, meeting her gaze.
Sang Dai smiled at him. “Don’t worry, Su Xuan. Trust me—I can protect myself too.”
Su Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and he turned away, lifting the tea in front of him for a sip. “I don’t care what happens to you. The promise you made to me hasn’t been fulfilled yet. You can’t die now.”
Sang Dai replied smoothly, already used to his sharp tongue. “Alright, I understand.”
The two interacted with a surprising harmony. While Su Xuan maintained his usual cold demeanor, he was far less distant with Sang Dai than with others. His sidelong glances never strayed far from her.
In the opposite corner sat members of the Sword Sect.
Shen Ciyu silently lifted his cup of tea and drank. The tea was bitter, perhaps left sitting for too long.
Sang Wenzhou caught sight of their interactions and sneered. “Shameful. Mingling with a demon.”
Shi Yao knelt obediently by his side, saying nothing, her complexion appearing weak. Sang Wenzhou assumed she was still upset about the events of the previous night. He patted her hand and said, “Don’t dwell on it. She has betrayed the Immortal Realm and is no longer affiliated with our Sword Sect.”
Shi Yao remained silent.
It was Shen Ciyu who spoke instead: “There’s no betrayal to speak of. She is merely walking the path she must.”
He looked in Sang Dai’s direction. She was chatting with Su Xuan, whose restrained smile betrayed his amusement, as though he wanted to laugh but was trying not to.
Sang Dai, on the other hand, was grinning with crescent-shaped eyes, visibly happy.
Shen Ciyu had never seen Sang Dai smile like this before. She had always been strong and aloof. But in front of Su Xuan, she seemed different.
The luxurious clothing and jewelry she wore spoke volumes about Su Xuan’s care for her. He had treated her well—so well that she seemed more like…
A person.
A living, breathing, feeling person.
Shen Ciyu withdrew his gaze and said no more.
Sang Wenzhou’s expression darkened, unable to criticize Shen Ciyu in front of everyone. His face shifted between shades of green and black.
Shi Yao curled her lips in a mocking smile.
Ultimately, the decision was made.
Fu You concluded with a light-hearted remark: “I am not forcing any of you to go. Your legs are your own. The ghost market auction is my venture, and now I simply wish to try a different business model. Whether you stay or leave is entirely up to you.”
The Burning Heaven Realm—a place filled with malevolent ghosts—was enough to scare many into leaving.
But a considerable number still chose to stay.
Ordinary treasures could be dismissed, but this time there were the Immortal Velvet Grass and the Heaven-grade spiritual root. Who would give up such opportunities?
Greed often overpowered the fear of death.
—
The Burning Heaven Realm lay at the deepest part of Bairen Alley, surrounded by a swamp.
Backed by mountain ranges, from a distance it appeared shrouded in white mist—actually toxic miasma. The poison seeped through the skin into the meridians, making prolonged exposure deadly.
The surface of the swamp appeared calm, but beneath it swirled dangerous undercurrents, hiding venomous snakes and bloodthirsty insects. Falling in would result in nothing but a pile of bones within moments.
Su Xuan walked at the back, his face expressionless. While crossing the wooden bridge over the swamp, he tightened his grip on Sang Dai’s hand as if terrified she might fall.
Outside the Burning Heaven Realm, Fu You had dragged over a chair for himself. Munching on sunflower seeds, he remarked casually, “If you wish, you may enter the Burning Heaven Realm.”
True to its name, the Burning Heaven Realm exuded danger. The miasma around its edges was still white, but closer to the entrance, it thickened into an ominous black fog. The overwhelming ghostly aura was bone-chilling, accompanied by the piercing wails of evil spirits rising and falling.
Someone asked, “Are all of Bairen Alley’s auction items truly inside?”
Fu You nodded. “Naturally. As merchants, we must never resort to deceit.”
He stretched out his deathly pale hand, pointing toward the Burning Heaven Realm. “Everything is inside, including the Immortal Velvet Grass and the Heaven-grade spiritual root.”
He mentioned these treasures as though they were trivial.
“The Immortal Velvet Grass can merge with spiritual roots. Whoever obtains both the grass and the root will become the next Heaven-grade spiritual root awakener.”
The allure of becoming a Heaven-grade spiritual root awakener was irresistible.
One man clenched his teeth and charged into the Burning Heaven Realm first.
The cries of a thousand ghosts drowned out all conversation.
One by one, more people entered, yet Su Xuan remained still.
Sang Dai tugged at his sleeve in exasperation. “If you hesitate any longer, someone might find the Immortal Velvet Grass and the Heaven-grade spiritual root before us.”
Her statement wasn’t far from the truth. Judging by the eager expressions of the crowd, they all seemed dead set on finding the Immortal Velvet Grass.
Su Xuan spoke in a low voice, “Hold tightly to my hand. Do not let go. The entrance to the Burning Heaven Realm has a formation. Once inside, we may not land in the same place. If we end up in an area full of malevolent ghosts, do not leave my side.”
Liu Lixue massaged his temples and shook his head before striding in ahead of them.
Finally, Su Xuan fell silent.
Sang Dai took the initiative to hold his hand. The swordsman’s palm was slightly cool, a stark contrast to the fiery warmth of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Her hands were also unlike those of ordinary women. Years of wielding a sword had left thin calluses along her thumb and fingers.
“Let’s go, Su Xuan. I won’t let go of you.”
“Alright.”
The two of them were among the last to enter, lingering outside for nearly a quarter of an hour. As they passed Fu You, he had already finished a small plate of sunflower seeds, looking as relaxed as ever.
Fu You even greeted Su Xuan with a wave. “Good luck, Beast King. I hope you get the Immortal Velvet Grass quickly!”
Su Xuan ignored Fu You and stepped into the Burning Heaven Realm, holding Sang Dai’s hand.
The Burning Heaven Realm was unbearably cold. As soon as they entered, the eerie ghostly aura enveloped them, and the intense resentment of the malevolent ghosts clung to them like maggots on rotting flesh.
All around them was pitch black. They had entered the formation at the entrance of the Burning Heaven Realm.
Their hands briefly separated—it was Sang Dai who loosened her grip.
Su Xuan’s heart nearly stopped, and he quickly turned back to grab her wrist.
“What’s wrong? You can’t let go.”
A dull voice responded, “I know. I just stumbled a bit.”
Reassured after grabbing her hand again, Su Xuan felt slightly more at ease. He couldn’t see her but could sense her presence. “Sang Dai, we’re almost out of the formation.”
The swordswoman’s low voice replied from behind, “Alright.”
Still uneasy, Su Xuan pulled her into his arms, wrapping an arm tightly around her waist as he led her completely out of the Burning Heaven Realm’s formation.
The black mist dispersed, leaving behind only dim surroundings and ghostly green flames flickering in all directions. The barren wasteland, devoid of any vegetation, looked like a desolate and savage land.
The heavy resentment in the air combined with the wailing of evil spirits created an oppressive atmosphere.
No sooner had they landed than a flash of red rushed toward them.
“Sovereign Lord! Help me! What in the world is that ugly thing?!”
Before Su Xuan could react, a disheveled Liu Lixue, dressed in red, bolted toward him with a noose ghost chasing close behind.
The noose ghost, its tongue stretched long and grotesque, moved at a terrifying speed. Its blood-red eyes glared as its sharp claws swiped toward Liu Lixue’s back.
Liu Lixue’s luck had been poor—he had run into a malevolent ghost verging on the Nascent Soul stage almost as soon as he entered.
But he was fortunate enough to have landed in the same place as Su Xuan.
Su Xuan’s brow twitched as he watched Liu Lixue sprint frantically, thinking his embarrassing display was a disgrace to the Beast Realm.
Releasing the swordswoman from his arms, Su Xuan yanked Liu Lixue to his side and tossed him behind him.
His flowing black robe billowed as he instantly teleported to the noose ghost. With his long fingers, he seized the ghost by its neck.
Crack!
The ghost’s neck was twisted entirely around, its head now facing backward.
Liu Lixue instinctively touched his own neck and let out a soft hiss.
Malevolent ghosts were notoriously difficult to kill, but they weren’t invincible.
Su Xuan pressed the ghost’s neck into the ground, his face indifferent. He raised his other hand, summoning scorching hellfire in his palm.
Only hellfire could burn malevolent ghosts. Ordinary hellfire required forty-nine days to obliterate one.
But the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan was different.
As ancient divine beasts, Nine-Tailed Foxes naturally wielded hellfire. Moreover, Su Xuan, possessing a Heaven-grade fire spiritual root, could produce hellfire far stronger than that of Fu You, who had a Heaven-grade water spiritual root.
The hellfire roared to life, and the ghost’s shrill, agonized wails pierced the air, sending shivers down the spines of malevolent ghosts within a radius of tens of miles.
Standing up, Su Xuan pulled out a silk handkerchief and wiped his hands clean before casually tossing the handkerchief into the blazing hellfire.
Liu Lixue stood dumbfounded, watching as the malevolent ghost was reduced to nothing but ash by their Lord’s hellfire.
In an instant, it was completely annihilated.
Its soul scattered into oblivion.
Su Xuan didn’t spare him a glance, his eyes falling instead on Sang Dai, who was standing with her back to him.
The swordswoman seemed to be preoccupied with something, her actions unclear.
Was she… frightened?
Su Xuan frowned, waving his hand to scatter the ashes on the ground, as if trying to erase any trace of the incident, before walking toward Sang Dai.
“Sang Dai, I’m usually not this harsh—”
Before he could finish, the words died in his throat.
Su Xuan’s hand trembled, his steps halting abruptly. His complexion turned deathly pale in an instant.
Liu Lixue, confused, asked, “Sovereign Lord, what’s wrong?”
He glanced at Sang Dai beside him, but from his angle, he could only see the side of her face.
A lock of her hair fell loose, partially obscuring her features.
But Liu Lixue could tell.
That face—had no features.
It was a doll.
Liu Lixue’s voice faltered. “Miss Sang…”
Su Xuan’s lips parted several times, but no sound came out.
Liu Lixue’s body began to tremble as well.
This was bad.
Something had gone wrong.
Terribly wrong.