In one hand, she gripped the Qingwu Sword, its ink-black blade humming ominously, shrouded in killing intent.
On her other arm coiled the long blade, a Heaven-grade magical artifact that danced in the wind like the silk of a fairy from the Nine Heavens.
The nine-tailed fox turned, its beastly eyes meeting those of the disciples on the mustard seed boats. Its gaze was cold and murderous, its body engulfed in searing karmic flames that radiated immense heat.
Standing atop the fox, the sword cultivator, her expression icy, slowly raised her sword and pointed it directly at the disciples on the mustard seed boat.
“If you want to kill me, then come and fight.”
It was utterly absurd. The disciples could hardly believe what they were witnessing. She had clearly been left with nothing—how could she have possibly survived the Grand Ascension tribulation lightning?
The tribulation lightning had clearly intended for her to die, and yet, she was still alive?
The Heavenly Dao wanted her dead, and she defied it?
“How… how is this possible…?”
The elder of the Immortal Alliance shouted, “You… how dare you?! A traitor to the Immortal Realm, and you have such arrogance?!”
The karmic flames around the nine-tailed fox suddenly flared up, and the scorching heat waves nearly overturned the mustard seed boat.
The sword cultivator reached out and lightly rubbed one of the fox’s ears, her small hand gently stroking its pointed tip.
“Su Xuan, don’t be angry. You’re scary when you’re mad.”
Su Xuan: “…”
He slowly retracted the flames. One of his tails nudged against Sang Dai’s side, and she casually gave it a stroke.
The fox instantly went from stormy to sunny, and even the karmic flames surrounding him became noticeably calmer.
The disciples on the mustard seed boats were dumbfounded, unable to believe that a so-called traitor to the Immortal Realm could share such an intimate bond with the Beast King.
One elder stammered, “Su Xuan, do you realize that by doing this, you’re opposing the Immortal Realm? Are you truly going to protect someone the Immortal Alliance has ordered to be killed?”
The nine-tailed fox regarded the elder coldly. “If I insist on protecting her, what will you do? Dare to declare war on the Beast Realm?”
Dare they?
Of course not.
The Immortal Realm and Beast Realm had already suffered significant losses in military strength due to years of conflict. In contrast, the Beast Realm, under Su Xuan’s rule, had undergone extensive reforms. Though Su Xuan was not warlike, the Beast Realm had grown stronger over the years by staying out of conflicts with the other three realms.
The elder, furious, could only sputter, “You… you…”
A bold disciple, trembling, stammered, “But… but Sang Dai is an accomplice in the destruction of the Guixu Spirit Vein! She is a criminal of the Four Realms…”
Sang Dai couldn’t help but find it laughable.
These disciples were so young. Most of them possessed Xuan-grade spiritual roots. To cultivate to the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages was no small feat. If they had been in the Beast Realm, Su Xuan would undoubtedly have nurtured their talents. Despite his bad temper, Su Xuan cherished potential.
Unfortunately, they had followed ignorant leaders. Their loyalty and willingness to sacrifice for the Immortal Realm were weaponized and exploited.
Sang Dai spoke calmly, “I’ve already explained the truth. The Sword Sect killed disciples to sacrifice them to the Guixu. This is fact. If you still refuse to believe it—”
She reached out and stroked Su Xuan’s ear again, making the tip of the fox’s tail perk up slightly.
Sang Dai chuckled and said, “Su Xuan, last time you arrived late, so I had already killed the Sword Sect’s Sect Master and several elders who knew the truth. But today is different. Isn’t there someone else from the Sword Sect who knows?”
Her gaze fell on the elder of the Sword Sect’s Disciplinary Hall standing behind Shen Ciyu. “For example, this elder. He knows.”
The elder froze, a chill running down his spine. When he met Su Xuan’s glassy, luminous eyes, he saw delicate lotus petals blooming within those beastly irises.
Golden light spiraled. The elder suddenly remembered.
The nine-tailed fox clan, born with hellfire, had an innate ability— Soul-Seizing.
Before Shen Ciyu could intervene, the elder’s consciousness had already been taken.
The nine-tailed fox lowered his gaze and looked down coldly. “Speak of the Guixu sacrificial offerings.”
The Immortal Realm disciples held their breath, their eyes all turning to the elder whose soul had been seized.
The elder’s expression was vacant, and his voice was slow and monotone. “The Guixu sacrificial offering… was proposed by the Sword Sect’s Sect Master, Sang Wenzhou. Eleven elders conspired with him.”
After a moment of stunned silence, exclamations of disbelief erupted one after another. Everyone was in shock, unable to trust their own ears.
“And then?”
“They selected cultivators with Xuan- and Earth-grade spiritual roots… extracted their spiritual roots… and sacrificed them to the Guixu. This was to awaken the Guixu… only then could the Guixu Spirit Vein be saved…”
“Did Sang Dai participate in this?”
“…She did not.”
“Did Sang Dai conspire with Ying Heng to destroy the Guixu Spirit Vein?”
“…She did not.”
“In all of this, did Sang Dai do anything wrong?”
“…She did not.”
“…No.”
“No wrong at all.”
The sword in Shen Ciyu’s hand fell to the ground with a deafening clang.
He could no longer hold it steady.
Raising his gaze, he looked toward the sword cultivator standing atop the nine-tailed fox. Her eyes remained calm and indifferent, whether it was when she learned of her condemnation by the Immortal Alliance, when they came to hunt her down, or even when the Sword Sect elder testified to her innocence. It was as if none of it mattered to her.
As their gazes met, Shen Ciyu understood.
Because Sang Dai was innocent.
She had done nothing wrong, which was why she felt no guilt, why she felt no fear.
The ones who were wrong were the Immortal Alliance—the very entity he had placed his faith in.
Then who was the sword in his hand meant to protect?
Shen Ciyu didn’t know anymore.
Sang Dai averted her gaze indifferently and patted the nine-tailed fox’s fur. “Su Xuan, let’s go.”
The conspiracy had been exposed, and the Sword Sect was finished. Whatever remained would be handled by others.
Su Xuan hummed in agreement, turned, and carried the sword cultivator away.
Shen Ciyu watched as the nine-tailed fox disappeared into the distance. The sword cultivator sat atop the fox, surrounded by silver fur shimmering with karmic flames, which encased her in their protective embrace.
She was someone of the Immortal Realm, yet it was the Beast Realm that cherished her the most, that stood by her side unwaveringly.
The mustard seed boats behind him descended into chaos. The disciples of the Sword Sect looked ashen, unable to believe what their sect had done. Many slumped to their knees in despair, clutching their heads in shame and weeping bitterly.
The disciples of other sects hurled insults at them, their words harsh and unforgiving. Sacrificing disciples to the Guixu—such an act was intolerable to any sect.
But Shen Ciyu stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the direction Sang Dai had gone.
Once again, she left without looking back. And this time, she would never return.
The Immortal Realm had disappointed her too deeply.
And the Sword Sect would now be nailed to the pillar of shame.
The Immortal Alliance would never spare the Sword Sect.
—
On the mountaintop, Ling Yin squinted as she gazed at the thick clouds gathering above her.
“I’ve been out for less than half an hour, and you’ve already noticed me? You’re really… Is it necessary to keep chasing me all because I revealed a heavenly secret back then?”
She laughed softly, speaking as though to someone unseen, her tone tinged with playful complaint.
Ling Yin sighed. Just as the heavenly lightning locked onto her position and was about to strike, she decisively turned and vanished from the mountaintop.
In the blink of an eye, she reappeared amidst the ghost fire.
The flames burned fiercely, and a red figure darted around frantically. “Sovereign Lord! Sovereign Lord, come back quickly!!!”
The barrier left by Su Xuan was on the verge of shattering. Liu Lixue patted at the hem of his robe, which had caught fire from a wisp of ghostly flame, his panicked wails so exaggerated they made Ling Yin chuckle.
With a wave of her hand, Ling Yin dismissed the ghost fire.
Liu Lixue blew on the burn on his palm, wincing dramatically. “Ouch, ouch, ouch, it hurts so much!”
Ling Yin chuckled. “Young Master, I warned you beforehand that entering here might lead to your death, yet you insisted on coming in.”
Only now did Liu Lixue realize Ling Yin had returned.
But she was alone.
His expression darkened instantly, and he asked coldly, “Where are my Sovereign Lord and Miss Sang?”
Ling Yin made a thoughtful sound. “Not sure. Probably walking somewhere behind me. I teleported here, but they didn’t.”
Liu Lixue frowned. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
Ling Yin tilted her head slightly and replied, “I’m trying to help you.”
“Your way of helping is to repeatedly kidnap Miss Sang?”
Ling Yin sighed. “Well, the method may have been a bit rough, but look, the result turned out fine.”
In the distance, the sound of footsteps echoed, shaking the ground.
Ling Yin sighed again. “Does your Sovereign Lord not realize how massive his true form is? Couldn’t he transform into his human form before coming in? My Red Sand Spring is about to collapse.”
A shadow fell over them. Liu Lixue looked up to see a nine-tailed fox the size of a small mountain approaching. Golden patterns adorned its forehead, exuding an air of majesty, and its glassy eyes glared down at him from above.
Liu Lixue burst into sobs. “Sovereign Lord!!!”
He ran forward and hugged one of the nine-tailed fox’s legs. Even a single leg was too large for him to wrap his arms around, making his human form appear comically small in comparison.
Tears streaming, Liu Lixue wailed, “Do you know what I’ve been through in the past half an hour?!”
Su Xuan’s brow twitched, and he lowered his voice. “Get off me.”
Liu Lixue shook his head vehemently. “No, no, no!!!”
From above, Sang Dai leaned out and waved at Liu Lixue. “Young Master Liu.”
Liu Lixue looked up at the cherished “heart” of his Sovereign Lord.
One glance, and the tears dried instantly, replaced by sheer astonishment.
“You… you’ve reached the Grand Ascension Stage??”
Sang Dai gave an embarrassed smile. “That seems to be the case…”
Liu Lixue asked again, “You really reached the Grand Ascension Stage??”
“…Yes.”
“……”
Liu Lixue finally let go of Su Xuan’s leg. The nine-tailed fox shook its fur, dislodging Liu Lixue’s lingering tears with a look of utter disdain.
Liu Lixue looked ready to kneel. “Who dares say the Heavenly Dao doesn’t favor you?!”
He walked over, pointing accusingly at her. “You awakened your spiritual root at the age of three, endured the Sword Sect’s severe poison—which even my Sovereign Lord couldn’t cure—and your cultivation was supposed to be forever stuck at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage. But then you enter the Burning Heaven Realm, and just like that, you’re cured?”
He took another step closer, incredulous. “Getting cured was miraculous enough. But immediately after recovering, with a frail body, you just go and transcend your tribulation??”
He was utterly incredulous. “It’s only been half an hour. My Sovereign Lord took three whole days to pass the Grand Ascension Tribulation! How did you finish it in just half an hour?!”
The answer was simple: because the Heavenly Dao wanted her dead. It didn’t give her any time to recover, striking bolt after bolt in rapid succession, each more precise and lethal than the last.
Liu Lixue’s face turned ashen. “You’re the beloved child of the Heavenly Dao, and I’m just a lowly errand runner.”
He covered his face and began to wail.
Ling Yin watched with great amusement, covering her mouth as she laughed uncontrollably. “Young Master Liu is truly entertaining.”
Meanwhile, Sang Dai climbed onto Su Xuan’s head and gently rubbed his ears. “Put me down, Su Xuan.”
The fox lazily responded with a hum, shrinking his massive form and lowering his body to let her climb off.
Standing upright, Sang Dai watched as Su Xuan transformed into a fox about as tall as a person. His fluffy head rested conveniently at her face level.
She reached out and petted him again, her hand smoothing his fur. The fox began to emit a low, contented purr, and his pointed snout instinctively nuzzled against her cheek.
But when Su Xuan noticed Liu Lixue’s complicated expression, Ling Yin’s amused gaze, and Sang Dai’s gentle eyes, he froze. His entire body stiffened, from the tip of his tail to the top of his head.
Sang Dai chuckled, patting his head. “I’ll pet you more later. Let’s focus on the matter at hand.”
Su Xuan turned his head away with a huff. “You wish. I wouldn’t let you pet me again.”
Sang Dai shook her head, her smile growing wider.
Yet when her gaze shifted to Ling Yin, the warmth in her eyes gradually disappeared.
She inclined her head slightly. “Thank you, Senior.”
Ling Yin smiled brightly. “Thank me for what?”
“For helping me detoxify the poison and reach the Grand Ascension Stage.”
“You passed the tribulation on your own. If you’d failed, you would’ve died. That has nothing to do with me.”
“Even so, I must thank you,” Sang Dai insisted. “You’ve helped me a great deal.”
Ling Yin had confined Su Xuan and Liu Lixue in the Red Sand Spring precisely to push Sang Dai into a desperate situation where she would have no choice but to face her tribulation.