Over the years of pursuing Jiang Li Fei, Zhen Yunzi had contemplated countless methods to extract the Nine-tailed Fox from within her.
Back then, that Nine-tailed Fox had been severely injured and on the verge of capture, yet it suddenly vanished before the eyes of all the Celestials. Meanwhile, Jiang Li Fei transformed from an ordinary child with mediocre talent into an outstanding disciple who could break through the third bottleneck in just a few short years. Such a transformation—if not aided by the Nine-tailed Fox—he refused to believe.
It wasn’t uncommon for monstrous creatures to possess humans, but no matter how meticulously they concealed themselves, their Demon Qi could never be fully hidden. Even he couldn’t fathom how Jiang Li Fei had managed to hide the Nine-tailed Fox so well that not a trace of its Demon Qi had been detected until now.
But none of that mattered anymore. He had long grown impatient. Without the meticulous effort to separate the Nine-tailed Fox from her body, he would refine her directly. He refused to believe the Nine-tailed Fox could remain hidden within her so peacefully. The moment it made any move, he would detect it immediately!
His spiritual energy poured through the Mystic Sword into Jiang Li Fei’s abdomen. Yet gradually, the energy began flowing out of his own body at an alarming rate. Zhen Yunzi frowned slightly and immediately tried to regain control—only to realize in horror that he couldn’t stop the rapid drain of his spiritual energy at all.
What was happening? The Fox Demon’s doing?! Absorbing spiritual energy? What kind of terrifying ability was this?!
Zhen Yunzi lifted his gaze to Li Fei. She knelt half-collapsed on the ground, head bowed and motionless—perhaps already unconscious from the excruciating pain of the refining process. Yet his spiritual energy continued to drain, faster and faster. If this went on, it would be disastrous! He immediately tried to pull the sword free, only to find it gripped tightly in her hands—he couldn’t wrench it back.
Every pore in his body seemed to be expelling spiritual energy. No matter how he tried to circulate his energy or lock it within his Alchemical Furnace, it was useless. Even when he drew in spiritual energy from above, it was swiftly siphoned away—until he realized he could no longer absorb even the slightest wisp.
Horrified, Zhen Yunzi dropped the sword and staggered back several steps. Yet that terrifying suction still persisted. By the time he realized more than half his spiritual energy had been drained, a sudden understanding struck him. His gaze turned icy as he stared at Jiang Li Fei—her hand was curled loosely, as if concealing something.
With a furious roar, Zhen Yunzi unleashed countless razor-thin ice blades from his sleeve. Yet before they could reach within three feet of her, they dissolved into nothingness—Immortal Techniques were formed from condensed and fused spiritual energy. With the Horn of the Rhinoceros voraciously absorbing all energy, the techniques could not be sustained.
A sliver of fear crept into his heart—but it was swiftly overtaken by an indescribable fervor. Was this the Nine-tailed Fox’s doing? Just what kind of legendary Great Demon had he set his sights on?! It was right before him—everything he had lost and everything he stood to gain was within reach. He wanted to seize it, claim it as his own—yet his spiritual energy was being devoured at a terrifying rate.
Zhen Yunzi suddenly retreated, as if trying to escape something. The area around the cliff seemed to have become a massive vortex, mercilessly sucking in all spiritual energy. Like a parched traveler stumbling through a desert, he could find not a single drop of water to drink.He suddenly let out a sharp cry and turned to flee, but the Nine-tailed Fox was still there! The insatiable desire he had carried for so many years! The pinnacle of his dreams! It was like a mirage in the desert, so close yet untouchable. He couldn’t accept it—how could he? He had already held it in his grasp, only to watch helplessly as his despair and soaring hopes slipped away like sand.
Zhen Yunzi turned around, staring blankly at Li Fei. His spiritual energy was nearly depleted, and he could only stagger toward her step by step, weak as the most ordinary mortal.
Li Fei suddenly threw out the Horn of the Rhinoceros. Having absorbed the spiritual energy of a Celestial, she could no longer maintain its delicate form. The horn soared into the sky, swelling countless times in size, its abyss-like maw looming over the cliff, greedily devouring every last trace of spiritual energy remaining in the area.
Slowly, she drew the Mystic Sword from within her abdomen. The bone-deep agony left her face deathly pale.
Through the unbearable pain, Li Fei rose to her feet. The sword dripped with blood as she flicked it away, her cold gaze fixed on Zhen Yunzi. She would end this with her own hands.
A flash of cold light—and she was before him. With a kick, she sent him sprawling to the ground. A Celestial drained of spiritual energy was weaker than any mortal; he had no strength left to resist. Li Fei pressed forward, the tip of her sword aimed at his heart. Just as she was about to thrust it down, she heard him whisper, "Where is it? Let me see it!"
Li Fei replied coolly, "You mean Ri Yan? You’ll never see him again."
Zhen Yunzi stared at her with feverish intensity. "So it really... really is with you... It can absorb spiritual energy..."
"He’s always been here," Li Fei tightened her grip on the hilt, meeting his gaze with scorn. "But the one absorbing spiritual energy is me."
With a fierce thrust, she drove the sword into his chest. Blood splattered as she held his pale, shocked face in her unwavering gaze. He seemed frozen—this festering thorn in her side, finally plucked out by her own hand. His ruthless ambitions, his fanatical pursuit of power, would end here.
Zhen Yunzi sighed, clutching his own Mystic Sword. In the end, it was his own blade that killed him. None of his desires had truly been fulfilled, and Jiang Li Fei’s words left him both unsettled and bewildered. His heart had always been fixated on the Nine-tailed Fox; to him, Jiang Li Fei was merely a vessel containing it.
But was it truly not because of the Fox Demon that she was different? Was it her who could perfectly conceal the Fox Demon? Was she the one absorbing spiritual energy? What was she? What was she? He had never paid attention, never even considered this possibility.
Staring blankly at her, he opened his mouth, blood slowly trickling from his lips. His voice trembled slightly, "...What are you?"
Li Fei didn’t answer. With a forceful pull, she withdrew the sword. Another flash of cold light—and his head was severed, rolling far across the ground.
The heavy sword slipped from her grasp, clattering loudly to the ground. Li Fei’s heart pounded violently—this was the first time she had killed someone. This man, entangled in his desires and willing to do anything, had finally died by her hand. She gazed silently at his mutilated corpse for a long time before slowly turning away. The Horn of the Rhinoceros had long ceased absorbing spiritual energy, shrinking back to the size of a finger, nestling quietly by her side.Ji Tongzhou had sat up at some point, his deep, dark eyes fixed unblinkingly on her.
Li Fei smiled and took a few steps toward him, but her legs suddenly gave way, and she collapsed to the ground. The sharp pain made her want to scream. For some reason, the spiritual energy in her body refused to circulate—it was still there, but she couldn’t command it as she once had.
A sudden, overwhelming dread seized her. It felt as if another body inside her was struggling to break free, an uncontrollable urge to shed this heavy, cumbersome form. She could even sense white light—the glow of Source Spiritual Qi—seeping through her skin.
No. Not now. Li Fei curled into herself. She didn’t want to molt. She had made her choice—to live as an ordinary person from now on. She always kept her word. Once she decided, she never looked back.
Zhen Yunzi was dead. The lurking threat was gone. From now on, they could live openly, freely—traveling from the Eastern Sea to the western sands, sharing countless joys and laughter. Here, she had family, friends, a lover, and so many bonds she cherished. Don’t molt. Don’t make her leave. She wanted to stay. Right here.
Someone was holding her tightly. Gasping, Li Fei lifted her head as sensation slowly returned to her body. Her face was pressed against a blood-soaked chest, the metallic tang of blood and the scent of expensive incense filling her world.
Li Fei closed her eyes and murmured, "Let me go."
Ji Tongzhou didn’t release her. His body trembled faintly, fresh blood still dripping from his lips, falling onto her face one drop at a time. His voice was soft. "I thought you would die."
But it wasn’t her who had died—it was Zhen Yunzi. Li Fei smiled again. "I... am different from you. Not so easy to kill. Ji Tongzhou, I killed a Celestial from Star Rectitude Hall. Why…?"
Why hadn’t he asked anything? Why had he risked everything to save her? Was it because he still saw her as the false Jiang Li Fei from the illusion? He should know by now—she wasn’t like any of them. She was an anomaly, hiding a Nine-tailed Fox, absorbing others’ spiritual energy, even killing his martial uncle right before his eyes.
Why didn’t he ask?
Ji Tongzhou remained silent for so long that she thought he wouldn’t answer. Then, suddenly, he spoke. "You know why."
Li Fei fell quiet. She struggled slightly but couldn’t break free from his grip. She could only look up at him and say carefully, "Ji Tongzhou, look at me closely. I’m not the person you imagine. I’m not gentle, not considerate, I don’t know any etiquette. We grew up together—think carefully. The one you’re infatuated with isn’t me."
"Yeah, I know." Ji Tongzhou smiled faintly, a mix of gloom and mockery in his expression. "The one who doesn’t know is you. Thinking I like an illusion—does that make it easier for you? You can keep believing that."
Li Fei stared blankly at the blood staining his chest, the drops still falling from his lips onto her face. She remembered the Ji Tongzhou from their childhood—arrogant and domineering, who had fought with her, stayed up all night writing cultivation notes for her, even generously offered to give her the Purple Jade Cricket.
She let out a long sigh, her voice hoarse. "I’m sorry... I’m sorry. I already have someone I love. I can’t give you anything... I’m sorry."Ji Tongzhou still smiled. He didn't know what he wanted—a chance? Or just to have her? Every possible path had been sealed off. She was already Lei Xiuyuan's cultivation partner, yet he would still instinctively risk his life for her, only to hear her say sorry with guilt.
All he ever got was sorry.
Everything for him had ended before it even began. If that was the case, why let it start at all? He finally understood the deepest desire in his heart, only to realize that what he wanted most was something he could never have.
Then let it be this way. As long as she lived, it was enough. No matter who she was, as long as she remained in this world forever.
Let the fire in his heart burn. Let it burn until the day it extinguished itself. At least, he still had boundless rivers and mountains.
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