“—Whoosh—”
Two streaks of light, different in color yet equally swift as lightning, tore through the sky, shooting at astonishing speed toward the newly discovered Secret Realm.
As the radiance faded, the figures of Qin Qingyue and Wu Zhaohua appeared.
“How did things go wrong again?! Qin Qingyue, what exactly are you doing?!” Wu Zhaohua, dressed in her plain white sword robe, usually as cold as a snow lotus, now had her face covered in rare anxiety and anger.
She nearly lost control, harshly rebuking Qin Qingyue at her side, her body surrounded by a sword aura so intense that it grew erratic with her tumultuous emotions.
“If he keeps following you into such dangers, why not just hand him over to me already!” The more she thought, the angrier she became.
Her chest heaved, her slender fingers gripping the hilt at her waist so tightly that her knuckles turned white:
“Since he’s been with you, has he ever had a moment’s peace? Hasn’t he always been dragged into inexplicable storms?”
“Every single time! Every single time, it’s like this!” She whipped her head around, those usually calm, beautiful eyes now blazing with raging fire, fixed fiercely on Qin Qingyue.
“You…!” Qin Qingyue was already on edge.
Faced with Wu Zhaohua’s barrage, the string in her heart nearly snapped.
She abruptly turned her head back, her stunning face now steeped in murderous intent, retorting mercilessly:
“You think I want things to turn out this way? You think I did it on purpose, putting him in danger?! How is this my fault?!”
Her voice carried the dragon clan’s innate depth and oppressive force, making the air around them vibrate with a hum.
“Besides, Wu Zhaohua, what does this have to do with you? He’s my Dao companion—what connection does he have with you? Why are you meddling here?!”
Qin Qingyue’s heart burned like molten lava, surging with agitation.
Looking at Wu Zhaohua’s face, a clear mess of concern, a nameless anger rose even more fiercely within her.
She clenched her teeth in her heart and swore: if she could get through this safely, she would never again let Jiang Huai step into any Secret Realm with potential danger!
No so-called tempering or fortune could compare to his safety.
Every time, every single time, they encountered unexpected disasters.
Who knew what strange mishap awaited this time?
And besides, Zhu Siyao was inside as well.
If either of those two got hurt, how would she ever face Zhuxin, who valued her daughter above her own life? Why did fate always play such cruel games?
She began to seriously wonder if keeping Jiang Huai safe within Nine Heavens Palace, relying on resources to steadily ascend to the Immortal Realm, was the wisest choice after all.
As for the treasures in the Secret Realms, the sect’s ambitious disciples could fetch them for him.
“I think you simply can’t protect him! If he suffers with you, I will never just stand by and watch again—I’ll never hand him over to you again!” Wu Zhaohua completely tore away her previous composure, her words sharp as swords, stabbing right at Qin Qingyue’s heart.
“I don’t want to rush here one day only to receive news of his death!”
Qin Qingyue, upon hearing this, laughed in anger. The smile on her face was full of disdain and a sense of triumphant superiority:
“Heh, you dare say that again? Anyone listening would think you too have enjoyed the blessings of the Yin-Yang Body!” The implication could not have been clearer.
With the aid of Jiang Huai’s Yin-Yang Body, Qin Qingyue’s cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, her strength now faintly surpassing Wu Zhaohua.
Wu Zhaohua’s expression instantly turned frosty, her sword aura nearly solidifying:
“Just you wait!”
Wu Zhaohua no longer bothered with words.
In this tense, drawn-bow atmosphere, the two raced toward the Secret Realm entrance in the valley at their fastest speed.
Soon after, Zhuxin, Su Yingman, Chi Lian, and others arrived, their speed slightly behind.
Zhuxin looked at the two facing off—both Celestial-level powerhouses—and then at the sealed Secret Realm ahead.
She felt her head spinning with worry.
The once slowly rotating, halo-filled entrance to the Secret Realm had now completely solidified, like a massive crystalline wall inscribed with obscure runes, utterly isolating inside from out.
A breath of ancient, stable space barrier filled the air, enough to make one’s heart tremble.
“This is bad!” Qin Qingyue’s face changed dramatically.
She could sense that the faint connection between her and Jiang Huai had been completely severed by this barrier.
“ROAR!”
A dragon’s roar that shook the heavens suddenly erupted. Violent draconic might swept through the entire valley like a storm.
Qin Qingyue’s entire body surged with mysterious light, her figure swelling and stretching in the radiance. In a blink, she revealed her massive true form—a colossal black dragon.
Pitch-black scales gleamed with chilling luster, her dragon head burning with rage that could destroy everything as she rammed the unyielding Secret Realm barrier over and over.
“BOOM!! BOOM!!!”
The impacts thundered like heavenly lightning, shaking the ground and sending stones tumbling from the valley’s rocky walls.
Yet the Secret Realm entrance merely rippled with violent spatial waves, its light flickering but remaining as solid as ever, not even a single crack appearing.
On the other side, Wu Zhaohua struck as well.
She shaped her fingers into a sword, and countless sword shadows appeared behind her, converging into a river of sword energy.
With her clear, cold command, it poured down like the Milky Way, striking fiercely at the entrance.
At the same time, she rapidly formed hand seals, unleashing profound arrays that ripped with spatial power, trying to force open a gap.
Still, the entrance only quaked violently, showing no sign of giving way.
After a moment, Wu Zhaohua withdrew her sword, her face so dark it seemed water might drip from it. She drew a deep breath, suppressing her anxiety, and spoke in a cold voice:
“It’s useless. This was formed from a World Fragment left from ancient times—its barrier shares the same essence as the Five Provinces Continent.”
“Even though we’ve reached the Great Ascension Stage, to forcibly break the barrier of an entire world is nearly impossible.”
“Only those at the Golden Core Stage can enter?” Qin Qingyue, restored to human form and pale-faced, murmured in weakness.
She sharply turned her head, her gaze sweeping the crowd behind and finally settling on the equally anxious Chi Lian.
Although the Secret Realm was sealed and they couldn’t enter, perhaps according to its original rules, sending someone who met the requirements in still left a sliver of hope.
Feeling Qin Qingyue’s gaze, Chi Lian stepped forward without hesitation.
She took a deep breath and bravely looked up at Qin Qingyue, her eyes clear and determined:
“Palace Master, let me go in. I’ll bring Jiang Huai back.”
Wu Zhaohua frowned slightly at this, regretting that she hadn’t brought her last disciple, Xiao Yue, along.
That girl was also a leading talent among the Golden Core Stage, and with her, their chances would’ve been better.
Qin Qingyue looked at Chi Lian in mild surprise.
She stepped forward, gently brushing away the messy strands of hair on Chi Lian’s forehead, her eyes complex as she regarded her.
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Qin Qingyue’s voice softened a little, carrying a rare hint of approval,
“It seems he really has a good eye—he didn’t choose wrong.”
“Palace Master, I…” Chi Lian was overwhelmed, wanting to explain.
Qin Qingyue shook her head, interrupting her:
“Just bring him back safely.”
“I won’t say any unnecessary pleasantries. You must also take care of yourself.”
At this moment, Qin Qingyue suddenly felt that perhaps Jiang Huai choosing this seemingly timid Chi Lian wasn’t entirely out of compensation or benefit.
At least, in critical moments, she didn’t shrink back.
Chi Lian nodded firmly, gripping the long sword in her hand—the Saintess Sword, which Jiang Huai had tied on for her.
She looked solemnly at the impenetrable barrier of the Secret Realm:
“I will definitely bring him back!”
This was her new home, with gentle “elder sisters” waiting for her, and the husband who promised to change her fate and bring her warmth.
She never wanted to return to her old life.
Inside the Secret Realm, a land of certain death.
Compared to the earth-shaking attempts to break the wall outside, the world inside the Secret Realm was suffocatingly still.
A dark red sky hung low, like congealed, filthy blood.
The cracked earth was gouged by ravines, like wounds torn by giant beasts.
Jiang Huai knelt on one knee, his sword propping him up just enough to remain upright.
His black robes were torn in several places, exposing wounds so deep that bone showed, his blood soaking through the fabric and dripping onto the scorched ground.
His face was pale as paper, breath ragged and chaotic, his aura nearly depleted.
Opposite him, “Zhu Siyao” approached step by step, brandishing a long sword that seethed with pitch-black demonic energy.
Her face wore a mocking, cruel smile like a cat toying with a mouse, her eyes unfamiliar, cold, and wicked.
“Hehe, how touching—your gentleness, Jiang Huai.” The Heavenly Demon, controlling Zhu Siyao’s body, let out a twisted laugh.
“Are all you Yin-Yang Bodies so inheritingly gentle? The last generation seemed the same.”
“Even now, you won’t use your true killing moves. Afraid to harm this familiar, adorable shell?”
She slashed again with a vicious swipe of demonic energy.
Jiang Huai forced his sword up to block, but the impact sent his blood churning and forced him to stumble backward, nearly collapsing.
It wasn’t that he had no strength to fight back. If he unleashed the Yin and Yang energies and the essence of his three dragons, he might have a chance.
But he was hamstrung, unable to unleash lethal blows against Zhu Siyao’s body; he withdrew or shifted every deadly move at the last second.
He was searching for a way to subdue and seal the Heavenly Demon, not to hurt the body’s true owner.
This fatal concern had put him entirely on the defensive.
“Relax.” The Heavenly Demon licked her lips, her eyes shining with bloodthirst.
“I’ll spare your life. At least, I’ll leave you enough time for a round of ‘intimacy,’ so you and your little lover can bid each other a final farewell.”
She took great pleasure in Jiang Huai’s increased pain and fury at her obscene words.
“No, don’t hurt him.”
“He shouldn’t end up like this. He can’t end up like this.”
Zhu Siyao watched the scene within her sea of consciousness, tears falling from the corners of her eyes, her heart aching.
“I got this far for him, so I can’t let him fall to this point. I won’t let him die.”
“Even if I have to leave—even if I’m gone, it’s fine.” She muttered, as if her whole being began to burn.
Even if she became the fuel, burning up her sea of consciousness, burning this very body—she never wanted to see Jiang Huai hurt again.
Her love and determination reached their peak in that moment.
Suddenly, a surge of soul-deep struggle and agony erupted.
“Ugh—!” The “Zhu Siyao” under the Heavenly Demon’s control suddenly stiffened, her demonic sword’s onslaught halting abruptly.
On her face, the wicked, twisted smile faded like receding tide, replaced by pain and fierce struggle.
Her gaze flickered madly between icy evil and the familiar stubborn clarity.
“Jiang…Huai.”
“Siyao!” Jiang Huai leapt up, seeing the sadness and sorrow in the girl’s eyes.
“I have no hope left.” Zhu Siyao smiled at Jiang Huai, radiant with a girl’s unique brightness.
“I like you.”