Their story wasn’t complicated—a kind person in the darkness met a puppet who needed care.
During the brief time she could move, Shiqi’s father took Bai Hua Zun Zhe out into the human world. It was the first and only time she saw the sky outside.
In her heart, Shiqi’s father held a special place, which was why she cared for Shiqi.
If Shiqi’s dad hadn’t died, Shiqi might really have gotten herself another mom.
But now he was gone—there was no meaning in talking about it.
But I don’t know how to make a human body. Zun Zhe, can you teach me?
This request was instantly agreed to by both of Bai Hua Zun Zhe’s consciousnesses. After so many failures, she would hardly refuse extra help.
At most, one side was planning to use her and then discard her, while the other side simply didn’t think that far.
Relax your soul. I’ll send you the method directly.
“Okay!”
Hua Jian relaxed her soul, and as the Treasure Pearl trembled, a Cultivation Method was transmitted directly into her mind.
The method was not complicated—actually, it was simple. The process closely resembled the growth of a human child in the womb, except every detail had to be adjusted by a cultivator.
Many parts required delicate, multi-faceted manipulation—impossible with just two hands. But Hua Jian had plenty of Vines at her disposal.
And the Soulforce method she bought from the Old Woman fit perfectly with this new body-making spell. She could use it immediately.
As for materials, there was no issue. Bai Hua Zun Zhe’s big commotion had gathered all the resources needed to make a body; Hua Jian only had to use them.
Before making the body, Hua Jian added one more step: she let all the blood and flesh she intended to use pass through her body first, purifying them with the Illusory Dream Flower to cleanse away all Miasma—turning them into the purest raw materials.
Branches grew from the Blood Pool, forming a thicket, and then a huge bud grew from the thicket. Hua Jian, within it, constructed the flesh with Blood Energy.
The Blood Energy in the bud, no longer tainted by Miasma, was rapidly transformed under spiritual power into the parts of a human body: bones, flesh, meridians…
Very soon, a decent-looking body was created by Hua Jian, at a speed that even surprised Bai Hua Zun Zhe.
It was as if Hua Jian was born for this spell…
“Would you like to try first?” As the flower bud opened, Hua Jian pointed a vine at the body, inviting the Zun Zhe to give it a try.
Just making a doll, right? What’s so hard about that?
She didn’t really understand all the organs in the human body, but making a puppet with the right shape and controllable wasn’t hard.
And Bai Hua Zun Zhe hadn’t demanded it be truly human.
But when the Treasure Pearl entered the body’s forehead, Hua Jian realized things weren’t so simple.
Her makeshift body was instantly blown apart by the power of the Treasure Pearl—the soul of a Ling Zun was too much for her shoddy body to contain.
‘Wait! Zun Zhe, have you thought about what kind of body could withstand your soul?’
‘The soul in this Treasure Pearl is my conscious part. A Ling Emperor level body would suffice.’
A Ling Emperor level body? Hua Jian clicked her tongue. She was just a Ling Master—how would she know what a Ling Emperor’s body was like?
But if the Zun Zhe said so, that meant the Blood Pool contained enough raw material for a body up to standard.
‘If the body’s strength is insufficient, you can add some of my components.’
Bai Hua Zun Zhe pointed Hua Jian to another solution.
The available materials weren’t just the Blood Pool’s flesh, but also the countless white flowers throughout the mountain. These could also serve as body parts.
‘All right, let me try!’
……
After the Colorful Mist had spread to cover the Blood Pool for half a day, it resumed its conquest.
Linglong and Shiqi, waiting at the pool’s edge, had to retreat further. They no longer dared to risk what might happen if they were swallowed by the mist.
Not far behind them, the final battle among the Ling Kings was about to be decided.
After a long, desperate battle, the rogue Ling Kings fell one by one.
Now only two remained standing—one was the Heilong, transformed from the Hei Long Gang’s leader; the other was the Half-Wolf Giant, whose body was covered in metal hair.
The Half-Wolf Giant was, of course, the Gang Wolf Legion commander. In the chaos, both of his vice-commanders fell in turn, while he tore apart several challengers.
After he and the Heilong leader unwittingly teamed up to rip apart the Ci She Hui president, they became the last two victors standing.
No, not victors yet—one last battle remained!
The two Ling Kings, completely inhuman in form, collided—a fight more like crazed spirit beasts than cultivators.
Shiqi wanted to use this chance to take a shot at the Gang Wolf Legion’s leader, but Linglong yanked her away before she could act.
With her puny arms and legs, did she really think she could meddle in a Ling King’s fight? She was no Hua Jian!
Better to leave them to their mutual destruction—whoever wins will be swallowed by the Blood Pool in the end anyway.
The two girls flew away at full speed, while the two berserk Ling Kings kept tearing at each other in the Huahai, until they too were enveloped by the Colorful Mist.
A ribbon-like, illusory tendril swept across their heads; instantly, the two who had been locked in death battle became blank-eyed.
Their souls had been silently collected by the Illusory Dream Flower.
Pale sword light flashed through drifting petals, and within moments, the petals gathered into the form of Huaxinyuan.
“Damn Jianxiu, that’s way too tough!” She coughed, clutching her chest, her face as white as death.
Elsewhere, the Tianmomen cultivator was faring no better—surrounded by another Jianxiu leading a group of Ling Kings, he looked about spent.
Normally, either one of them would have chosen to flee by now. Among Ling Emperors, unless the gap was vast, neither could stop the other from escaping.
But Huaxinyuan had orders to stall the Hudaosi here. No set time, but after over a day, she was at her limit.
From here, she could no longer see the scene of soaring Miasma. To stop the Tianmomen cultivator from escaping, she’d had Qian Feixue summon a blizzard, cutting off all routes of retreat.
The others didn’t know who caused the blizzard—Hudaosi even thought it was an anonymous rogue Ling Emperor helping block the devil cultivators.
‘Mission complete—leave the Northern Mountains immediately.’
As Huaxinyuan was silently cursing her luck, a heavenly voice sounded in her ear.
Her mission was over! She could finally run!
With the order to withdraw, Huaxinyuan didn’t hesitate for an instant and charged straight into the blizzard.
She shouted back at the fighting factions as she ran: “I’m outta here, you all keep going!”
With that, she vanished into the storm.
The Jianxiu who had just been fighting her watched her leave, hesitated for a moment, then chose not to pursue. Instead, he turned his sword on the Tianmomen Ling Emperor.
Jianxiu might be single-minded, but their sense of the bigger picture was solid—their real target was the Tianmomen cultivator, to interrogate him about the Dragonblood Vine.
Huaxinyuan was just a side episode, delaying their action.
Besides, during the fight with Huaxinyuan, the Jianxiu quickly realized she held almost no true hostility, more like someone called out at the last minute for business. Chasing her was far less valuable than catching the Tianmomen man.
“Screw your 8%ï¿¥!” The Tianmomen Ling Emperor, seeing Huaxinyuan just leave like that, cursed out loud.
Are we supposed to be comrades? You show up, then leave—what’s up with that?
And you call that lending a hand? I feel like I’d have escaped better without you!
He should never have trusted Wanhuagu’s reputation. He should have just run, not stuck around to fight Hudaosi’s Jianxiu.
Now he was trapped by the blizzard, unable to escape.
As the second Jianxiu approached, the Tianmomen Ling Emperor steeled himself, copying Huaxinyuan and charging toward the blizzard. If Huaxinyuan could do it, why couldn’t he?
Then the howling wind slapped his face, and snow sharp as blades forced him to defend with all his strength. In moments, he was driven back.
Damn it, it was a trap!
His heart went cold—Wanhuagu’s bastard was in on it with the blizzard-maker!
He was truly trapped.
Turning, he saw the Jianxiu already upon him and let out a furious roar, ready to fight to the death.
Ah!
But at that moment, a blade of ice-blue sword light shot from the snow behind him, smashing his right arm and shattering his protective treasure.
As the chill seeped into his arm’s meridians, despair filled his eyes.
Damn it, no time to use a secret art—
The next instant, the two Jianxiu’s swords flashed, striking straight for his vitals.
“Such dirty tricks.” Watching Qian Feixue slash into the storm, Huaxinyuan hugged her arms and shivered.
This Qian was really something—even in the Sacred Sect, her skill would be first-rate, right?
Qian Feixue coolly sheathed her sword. “Does that over there have anything to do with your Wanhuagu?”
“I don’t know—I’m as lost as you are.” Huaxinyuan glanced at the far sky, now covered in colorful clouds, and couldn’t help complaining.
“You all know something—I know nothing! You dragged me here to fight Hudaosi, and now you’re asking me about that!”
“If you want to know, why not ask your all-powerful ancestor!”
With that, Huaxinyuan flew off without looking back.
She was angry, and didn’t want to stay any longer!
“Aren’t you going to take a look?” Qian Feixue called after her.
“Elder told me to leave right now—should I defy her orders?!” Huaxinyuan shot back, annoyed.
She was just a brick—she’d be moved wherever needed!
A few years ago, she’d been sent to Zhongzhou to secretly protect a little girl, and now, finally able to return, she’d been caught in all this. She’d had enough!
This time, she was definitely taking a good vacation!
Watching the fuming Huaxinyuan leave, Qian Feixue looked into the depths of the colorful mountain clouds. Without hesitation, she rose and flew in that direction.
She hadn’t lied to Huaxinyuan—she had come here, indeed, following her ancestors’ guidance.
……
“I’ll report this to Shijie.”
Fenghua Venerable gazed coldly at the layers of mist before her, addressing the figure hidden within.
“Go ahead. I doubt her reaction will be as you expect.” The voice within the mist let out a low laugh.
Fenghua Venerable frowned deeply. The mist surrounding her completely cut off all sense of the outside world, and she had no strength left to resist.
That could only mean one thing—her opponent was a Saint!
And in the world today, only one Saint had such power.
“What exactly does Wanhuagu want?”
“We merely wish for another Immortal to appear in the world—just like your ambitions.”
As the voice spoke, the mist gradually dispersed. The transformed sky appeared before Fenghua Venerable’s eyes.
From here, she could already smell the strange floral fragrance drifting from afar and see the gigantic, spectral vines winding through the mist.
She saw the vast Miasma being caught in vine webs, the blood-colored aura turning into Colorful Mist.
More and more cultivators were swallowed by the mist, falling into coma, while the phenomenon alarmed other lives within the mountains.
Countless spirit beasts, lured by the scent, charged headlong into the Huahai, only to collapse asleep—a scene so bizarre as to be surreal.
It was as if some unnamable beast was hiding in the mist, devouring the souls of all life.
“Hua Jian….”
“You try to teach her as if she were human. But…is she really?” The Wanhuagu Saint’s voice faded away—her task complete.
“All flowers return to one—that is her path to immortality…”
From here, everything would be left to fate.
When the mist vanished, Fenghua Venerable ignored whether the Wanhuagu Saint had truly departed, and hurried to search for the soul’s whereabouts.
If that Saint wanted to attack her, it would have happened already—why wait until now?
As for resistance, don’t even think about it. The Saint’s might was not something those below could resist—only another Saint could oppose her.
So, upon realizing Wanhuagu’s Saint was behind all this, Fenghua Venerable gave up. This kind of scheme was far beyond her power to disrupt.
Soon, she found Linglong and Shiqi at the edge of the colorful mist, observing the situation.
With a light step, she instantly appeared behind the two girls, giving them both a fright.
“Venerable, what exactly is happening? Hua Jian, she…” Linglong was truly anxious this time—her usually calm voice tinged with clear worry.
But even Fenghua Venerable could not answer her question.
“Sorry. I don’t know either.”